Lost Heroine
by Dragonia-Darkwood
Summary: *UPDATED*Li is a jumping cop. Sakura is the head of Ragged Blossoms Dance Corporation . Tomoyo is a fashion designer. Eriol is chief of police. Crime happens everyday, Japan has a high crime level. A heroin shows up and turns life upside down.
1. Seeing Things

Dragonia: hi I'm back I have let this story/idea stir in my head for a while so now I have figured it out.  
  
Summery- ~Lost Heroine~ - Li is a jumping cop. Sakura is the head of Ragged Blossoms (Dance Corporation). Tomoyo is a fashion designer. Eriol is chief of police. Crime happens everyday, Japan has a high crime level. A heroin shows up and turns life upside down.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Seeing Things  
  
Cruise  
  
The sea was calm and quite, something that was not rare, and yet it wasn't. It was considered the calm before a storm. The cruise took this path every time he was used to the calm of the sea it helped him relax. The cruise ship would be gone long before the storm ever visited this place. The moon shone high in the sky giving off enough light to stroll the deck. There were few people around, sometimes it was so deserted that the man sometimes wondered if he was all but alone on this large ship. He had been on this ship enough to find his way blindfolded and never get lost.  
  
"Mr. Li I didn't think that I would find you once again aboard the Blue Blossom. weren't you here just a week ago?" Li turned to face a man who was much older then him and had a hat that dubbed him as the captain.  
  
"Well my job went through and I had the weekend to spare. Besides the sea calms me." the captain laughed.  
  
"Maybe then you should have been in my place." Li smiled lightly, the captain noticed. "Syaoran why is it that it took me four years to get you to smile even a small one." Syaoran sighed.  
  
"Captain I have been jumping from job to job trying to find the truest of oddities. I am thinking about just giving up. and yet a week ago I heard about something about Japan. Even if I can't find it, Japan has a high crime level and it needs people to help." The captain smiled.  
  
"You won't smile yet you will help the helpless." Syaoran turned and leaned on the railing.  
  
"yep." Syaoran looked up at the top of the boat and there standing in the moonlight was a woman. The light graced her face, her features were calm. She was wearing a white gown he couldn't see the intricate detail of the dress only that it draped her shoulders and the bottom was blowing in the light breeze. Her gaze fell to the horizon and then over to where the captain and Syaoran were standing. His gaze immediately fell he spoke a little quieter then before. "Who's that?" the captain glanced to the place Syaoran had been looking.  
  
"I don't see anyone." Syaoran looked back and he was right the woman that was there was now gone.  
  
"I swear I saw a woman there bathed in the moonlight." The captain nodded.  
  
"You probably did. I was more then surprised when she showed up. Said she needed to go to china and back. Of course we couldn't refuse her she owns the company that made the ship. she owns most of Japan. Her company was so small when she started, but it grew and she took on things that were far out of her jurisdiction. Believe it or not she is the most powerful person in all of Japan and she's but 23." Syaoran looked at him. "Her name is Sakura Kinomoto." Syaoran nodded he had heard of the woman, she was much stronger then she appeared which was weak and frail. He thought over it but she was soon forgotten as Syaoran went to his room to sleep.  
  
Wheel Room  
  
"Lady Kinomoto, is something wrong?" Sakura turned to face the captain as he entered the room.  
  
"Not at all captain. although I wanted to ask you whom was the man that you were speaking to." The captain smiled.  
  
"He is one of our regulars. Always comes to listen to the calmness of the sea. Although he is an angered soul the sea calms him." Sakura nodded.  
  
"Well if he is a regular, shouldn't that say he should get a refund on his fee?" The captain was at a loss for words. The owner was mean, cruel, fair, and happy. A deadly combination especially for this woman there was much of her he did not know or understand.  
  
"Your wish is my command." She waved him away and continued her walk around the ship.  
  
Harbor  
  
Syaoran was holding a small bag wearing jeans and a green t-shirt, the rest of his belongings were sent of him to the flat that he was renting. He looked over the docks. I was amazing the way that most of this world was developing ways to save lives everyday, yet docks were still made out of wood. Syaoran smiled to himself at the thought. He continued down the ramp and looked around at all the passengers most were stragglers he always left after the rush it was easier this way.  
  
"Mr. Li." Syaoran turned around to see the captain coming down the ramp in his wake.  
  
"Yes." Syaoran raised his eyebrow wondering why the captain was following him.  
  
"I had an interesting conversation with the owner about you. Rather she asked me who you were and I said you were a regular. She gave me this to give you." the captain handed him a pass. The pass had his name on it along with the company.  
  
"What's this for?" the captain smiled at him.  
  
"You know how there is a first for everything. well this is one of those. The owner she is well she changes her mind a lot and you learn really quickly to obey her." Syaoran smiled when he realized it was a free membership. "Every other one you get free. Great deal huh?" Syaoran only nodded.  
  
"Give her my thanks." The captain started to nod but turned and pointed.  
  
"Why don't you thank her yourself?" Syaoran turned around she was standing not far from him with braided long hair, the color of auburn. Her clothing was different from the night before, a pink top that showed her midriff, and a pair of bell bottom pants that flared out. She was just standing there alone along the docks. She also had a small bag. Not much larger then his own, he couldn't see her eyes for the small pair of sunglasses that she was wearing. He walked over to her and bowed.  
  
"Hello, I'm Li Syaoran." She nodded to him, removing her glasses to see him better, revealing a pair of deep jade eyes.  
  
"Kinomoto Sakura, charmed." Her face was passive and a little annoyed.  
  
"I wanted to thank you personally for the membership." Sakura looked at him quizzically before answering. She suddenly smiled a smiled that seemed wicked.  
  
"I know the new police sergeant." He looked at her surprised not because she knew who he was more that she had said sergeant. "You don't know do you. well you would want to blame Chief Hiragizawa for that one."  
  
"How did you know who I was?" Sakura smiled disappeared as a limo pulled up.  
  
"I have always been supporting the police station. since they work so hard to defend Japan. Sadly though there is much too crime to be caught. maybe you can help." Sakura stepped into the limo without a backwards glance. Leaving Syaoran to catch a cab, or what he ended up doing walking home.  
  
Beach  
  
Syaoran sighed he hated this, he had left the boat around 1 and it was dark at 8. He had gone home and dropped his stuff off. Using his car he drove to the beach. It wasn't even his first day and he was already frustrated. He cursed to himself as he realized how far he had walked away from his car.  
  
The sea was very quite tonight there would be a storm tomorrow. For him it meant working his first day in the rain. Sighing he climbed the bank of the beach and looked around. There was something wrong he felt it someone was watching him. He looked to his right, then his left, and back to his right. He saw it something there in the distance moved.  
  
"Hey stop." The figure stopped and looked at him, as if it was debating weather or not to listen to him. Suddenly he could no longer see the figure mist had settled and he could barely see his car. He decided to forget about the stranger and get home before it got any worse. The mist seemed to lift as suddenly as it appeared. He drove home trying not to think he already had a splitting headache though he wasn't sure if it was from the cruise or the stranger.  
  
He drove home cursing himself the whole way.  
  
His place was eerily quite, he wondered what his family was doing. He hadn't seen or even talked to any of his family in years. Dropping his keys on the table on his way in he didn't even need to think about where he was going. It was a long day and by this time he was sure he was seeing things.  
  
There standing on his balcony was a woman. Of what he could see her hair was braided down her back. She was wearing a black dress it graced her ankles, there were no sleeves but a scarf hung around her thought. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her pale skin shown in the moonlight. The dress had slits on either side and on a second glance it was a midnight purple. There was little light to go by but her green eyes flared in the darkness.  
  
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Syaoran's tone was aggravating, and annoyed.  
  
"I'm here to inform you about a technicality." He raised his eyebrow and walked across the room, now standing at the door. "See of the late I have not been around. and as it seems this town has gone to well hell. So I am here to take care of the small problem." Syaoran started to laugh. The woman before him whirled around and stared him down.  
  
"Your not joking are you." her face was emotionless but her eyes flared with anger.  
  
"I have been away for much to long and now that I am home. well there are to be some changes. I am only here to let you know of them. and be sure to tell chief Hiragizawa that the mists say hello. Also that I will stop by later." He stepped forward to stop her but she jumped off the balcony and disappeared in the darkness below.  
  
Syaoran slipped into his bed his head pounding more then it had been all day. He sighed and fell into a deep sleep.  
  
Police Station  
  
It was systematic the way the people moved, yet slightly chaotic if you didn't know what was going on. Men and woman alike walking around asking questions having short conversations and trying to solve murders. Many of the employees here hadn't had a break in days, trying to keep their neighbors and families safe from hurtful criminals. Navigating your way through them wasn't that hard cause they all moved much slower for the lack of sleep. There were a few among them that weren't tired like the rest of them.  
  
One of which was talking loudly directing the officers.  
  
"Reese you are at district twelve, Matt your at eleven, and Tania your at nine. Shit I need more men. Where's the cavalry when you need them." the chief was ranting and raving about the crimes that where ravaging the street.  
  
"Well I don't know the cavalry but how about your sergeant." The chief turned around to face a chocolate eyed, and haired man. For the first time in a few years the chief smiled.  
  
"Well that will do. Good, come we need to talk." The chief lead him into an office, it was cluttered with papers. Scattered and disoriented, Hiragizawa sighed his smile disappearing in an instant. "I won't lie, this is the hardest job that you will ever do." Syaoran smiled  
  
"I love challenges." Again Hiragizawa sighed.  
  
"Believe me when I say you won't like this especially if she returns." Syaoran's face suddenly disappeared.  
  
"She who?"  
  
"Never mind." Syaoran thought for a moment then remembered the woman on his balcony.  
  
"Oh by the way I got a message from a woman. She told me to tell you mists say hello." Hiragizawa suddenly went white, losing his composure totally.  
  
"What. what did she look like?" Hiragizawa knew that the worst was yet to come. When she finally came he would well. dead.  
  
"She had green eyes and black hair. She also said that she would be by later." Syaoran saw that Hiragizawa was cursing under his breath.  
  
"Now Eriol why would you curse yourself if Mist is back we both know that she is nothing compared to what I could do." Hiragizawa suddenly turned to the door there was an auburn haired beauty.  
  
"Mrs. Kinomoto. I didn't except you so soon." He walked over and started to kiss her hand, when she turned to Syaoran.  
  
"Look cut the crap its Sakura you and I both know that. Li. okay first Mist visited me early this morning. You know how close we are. Okay she is not exactly mad but she is upset. You have been slaking and both of us will not take it." Eriol growled and sat down.  
  
"Is that why you sent for him?" Eriol gestured to Syaoran.  
  
"No I sent for Mist he came to me all on his own. well not to me the recruitment office." Syaoran was thoroughly lost. Eriol sat up when he finally realized what Sakura was getting at.  
  
"Sakura you don't mean what I think you mean that they will be?" Sakura lips curled up and her smile was maliciously, the same as it was yesterday. She looked over to Syaoran and then back to Eriol and nodded. "Does that mean that he will be over me?" Sakura shook her head.  
  
"No it simply means that he will be taking orders from Mist not you." Sakura turned around and headed for the door. She stopped and looked directly at Syaoran, "you are to meet Mist on the roof tonight." after a minute she turned to leave but not before adding. "Alone." Syaoran stood there for a minute trying to figure out what had just happened.  
  
"Try not to dwell on it, it will only end up in a headache I know." Hiragizawa slumped in his chair. "Let me see if I can explain this in an easy way. You see here the police stations are owned. And Miss. Kinomoto owns this station I am of course chief and able to overrun much of her. Yet this is beyond me you see a few years ago she had a government permission to oversee some of the department. Mist was a little weird I don't remember how it came. You see Mist was unique she fought and was a vigilantly I mean there was nothing special about her... I was her partner at the time mind you this was in a different city. Something happened I wasn't there. she was gone dead or so we thought. a few years later she returned. with Sakura Kinomoto. the leader and owner of the Ragged Blossom corporation. She took over everything I soon realized that Mist was not who she once was. she was stronger. almost magical. Since her and I have never seen eye to eye if you know what I mean." Hiragizawa sighed.  
  
"I see it's the same with Miss. Kinomoto." Hiragizawa froze at those words but pulled himself together quickly. Though it was too late for Syaoran had gotten the exact reaction that he was looking for.  
  
"Look you should go home and get some sleep consider it advice not an order if Mist does the same things to you that she did to the last one you might not be able to walk in the morning." Syaoran left without hurry wondering what the uproar was about. It was just a woman. right?  
  
Dragonia: so what do you think about this huh. Seeing things I don't know if that was a great title. Okay I'm not sure I mean I like this but I am wondering weather to go on with it. It has been rolling around in my head for a while. So tell me what you guys think and I am sure whatever you have to say I will be more then willing to listen.  
  
Sakura: so who's Mist?  
  
Dragonia: you don't expect me to tell you this early do you?  
  
Sakura: well actually you don't have to I know who it is.  
  
Dragonia: you do do you.  
  
Sakura: yes it's...  
  
Syaoran: hey what's going on?  
  
Sakura: I was just about to reveal who Mist was.  
  
Syaoran: really well do tell.  
  
Sakura: its.  
  
Tomoyo: no Sakura you can't that would ruin the story.  
  
Sakura: so your point?  
  
Tomoyo: why are you being so callous?  
  
Sakura: am I. oh I'm so sorry I just wanted to have some fun. (Starts crying.)  
  
Dragonia: now look at what you have done. Anyway I'm sorry but we are out of time for today join us next time when Sakura gets beat at her own game. And Mist ouch that has to hurt. As an ending note I would like to thank my Best Friend for her editing there was a lot. 


	2. Late Night

Dragonia: hey I'm sorry that its taking so long for me to update I've just been really tired lately so. On with the story no delay today.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Late Night  
  
The climb to the top of the station was long and tedious. Especially after spending four hours at the gym, going home to sleep was out of the question. The sight from the roof top was worth the climb. The moon hung in a crescent shape just coming into a new moon. From here the stars could barely be seen caused by the city lights. Many of the lights were interspersed some on some off. The moon was reflected off the sea that could be seen in the lights of the city. Time seemed to move slower above looking below at all the people finishing off their day some just starting.  
  
"A sight to see isn't it?" he heard a riveting voice behind him but it failed to provoke an emotion. He only nodded waiting a minute taking in the sights before finally turning around. The woman before him wore the same style of dress as the night before. Ebony that glinted in the moonlight causing her pale skin to shine in the darkness making her seem otherworldly.  
  
"Yes. so what exactly do I call you?" he saw her eyes flicker in laughter.  
  
"Well you should call me the same name that strikes fear into the criminals in the city. Mist don't use my name lightly." Syaoran nodded.  
  
"So tell me why have you come other then for a job?" Syaoran looked over the city.  
  
"My past and my future, my past is dead and my future is yet to exist. Why does it matter?" Mist walked to the edge and looked over the city. When Syaoran looked into her eyes he saw insanity  
  
"It matters because without it you wouldn't exist." She nodded toward a building. "You see this town it was once a place of peace and beauty, but now it is a place of fear and destruction. I swore that I would never let this place be defiled and it has. So it is my job to fix it. no matter how long it takes." Mist looked over her shoulder. "It is yours too if you accept it." He seemed to think it over, but the answer was in his eyes long before she ever spoke. "Come then there is much to see." Mist grabbed his hand and jumped over the edge.  
  
Mist dived and pulled Syaoran right along with her. Faster and faster towards the ground suddenly Syaoran heard a noise and realized that Mist was emanating a four tone call. Mist engulfed both of them long before they were close to the ground. Syaoran could feel that they were moving much faster then he would have liked.  
  
"Don't fight it go with it, and don't think about it. It will give you a headache." He heard Mist's voice echo around him and he did as she instructed. He was in a new world and was ready to accept any advice he could get.  
  
Inlet Island  
  
Suddenly fog rolled into the deserted island off the coast. Far enough not to be seen but not far enough not to find, the island sat in the middle of the river that headed to the sea. The island was large enough to hide a whole group of people it could take days to search all the caverns that encompassed the island. The sudden change in weather alerted no one most to involve with there own lives.  
  
Yet the chance did not go unnoticed by two people, one in total control of that weather, the other just along for the ride. Finally the ride stopped and a man suddenly appeared and fell from three feet. Rising to his feet he couldn't see much around him but he knew he was much further from were he wanted to be.  
  
"So do you like my escape?" he heard the voice echoed through the mist. He continued to look around.  
  
"Where are you?" Syaoran couldn't see his hand in front of his face for that matter where she was. He heard her growl then she sighed.  
  
"Just because you can't see mean doesn't mean you can't find me. Technically I'm all around you, if you wish to see me then so be it." The mist suddenly cleared, and he saw her standing not five feet from him she was making sighs with her hands.  
  
"Yes I like it." Mist nodded.  
  
"Alright now down to business. First off you will report to the precinct every Monday morning other then that you will be with me. When you are with me you stay quite and observe if there is a fight you find anyone whom I'm not. Help when you can other wise shut up." Syaoran walked over to the small pool and looked inside.  
  
"We are near the sea, I can feel it. It has always calmed me. I don't know why but whenever I'm around it I'm okay. sometimes I wondered if I should have become a sea captain. but then I save someone and know that I am right were I belong. Have you ever questioned. well you know..." Mist walked over and joined him near the pool. Where his reflection could be clearly seen Mists was distorted barely even there.  
  
"Sometimes I do. but I know that no matter what I do, I will always have so much more to do. a never ending battle that one day someone else will continue after I disappear into the mist." Syaoran leaned down and disrupted the pool's tranquil state.  
  
"So you basically want me there for help but don't want me to get in the way." Mist nodded. Turning to head toward the sea where she would disperse into the mist. "Hey how do I get home?" Mist looked over her shoulder.  
  
"That's for you to figure out." Syaoran smiled and walked over to mist taking her arm.  
  
"You know normally I have rules about making the first move on a woman but I have no qualms with it now." Mist looked at him and he could see the laughter in her eyes.  
  
"You would get much further with Sakura then you ever could with me." Mist disappeared before Syaoran could say another word. He sighed and sat down on the ground.  
  
'I don't like this not one bit. I don't think that this could get any worse.' He felt something on his nose and when he looked up he felt it again. With a curse he realized that it was rain.  
  
"MIST." He heard a sound that was not familiar to him. Looking around and spotted a helicopter. Once it landed he saw a woman step out she had violet hair and eyes to match. She walked over to him wearing a corporate outfit with a pamphlet in one hand, and a cell phone in the other.  
  
"Excuse me are you Sergeant Li?" Syaoran looked her up and down before finally answering with a nod.  
  
"Good follow me Miss. Kinomoto is waiting for you in her office. It is not good to keep her waiting." As if on queue her phone rang.  
  
"Hello Daidouji speaking. yes. yes. He's right here. okay. yes. fifteen minutes. okay see you then. yes you too." The woman turned and headed towards the helicopter. Syaoran followed behind her hoping that he wouldn't get left behind.  
  
He followed her on board and watched as she signaled to take off. When he took a closer look at her he realized how pretty she really was. Two strands framed her face as they fell from her long braid. Her corporate suit was a long vest thrown over an elegant pale purple dress made for dancing. He also noticed that she had her makeup applied in a way that no one could mistake but to go dancing.  
  
"I'm sorry I have been so rude. I'm Tomoyo Daidouji personal secretary, assistant and best friend to Sakura Kinomoto." She placed her phone in her lap and shook Syaoran's hand. "But please call me Tomoyo. I hate all the riff raff of introductions. Though I must admit that every once in a while they are useful." Syaoran nodded and looked out over the city. It was later then he wished all he really wanted was to go home.  
  
"So how much does she own?" Tomoyo looked over at him.  
  
"Sometimes too much." Tomoyo looked down. "Sometimes I wonder weather she will live through the week. She says I worry too much. The way she owns the town, she doesn't look down on anyone or treat people bad though that's what many may think. She tries not to show weakness so that no one will question her ownership. no one ever has. I design everything for her. but recently its just well corporate no fun." Tomoyo sighed sadly.  
  
"Sounds like Miss Kinomoto has to loosen up a bit." Tomoyo shook her head.  
  
"No that's not what's wrong. She needs someone who can be there for her all the time. I mean soon I'm leaving to finish a film because I am needed as designer and." there was a change in the wind and the helicopter was landing so Tomoyo never finished her sentence. "Well here we are come on she wont wait all night now." She hurried towards the door with Syaoran two steps behind.  
  
The building that he entered seemed to have been planned down to the last flower and stone. Marble and cherry blossoms covered ever place. Where they did not it was either pink or green. Syaoran wondered what the rest of the corporation looked like. Tomoyo led them in through a hall and towards the door on the end. The last door was plain in all ways in fancy letters was Sakura Kinomoto. Tomoyo turned to him before opening the door.  
  
"Once you are here you can't turn back. Anyone and I mean ANYONE who enters this life seems to want to run and fast." Syaoran's face turned from serious to critical, he leaned down and whispered to her.  
  
"No matter the problem I will face it head on. I have never ran and I don't intend to start now. Trust me when I say no matter the problem I have seen worse." Tomoyo shook her head and said something under her breath.  
  
"It's your grave." Tomoyo was inside before he could ask her what it was about. He entered the room and saw a secretary desk to the right which he gathered was Tomoyo and double doors to the left. "Through those doors. and good luck." Tomoyo disappeared as if she was never there. Syaoran opened the doors to be answered with.  
  
"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE. NO. NO. I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WEATHER ITS UP OR. NO AND THAT'S FINAL. GO TO HELL." Sakura slammed the phone with such force that it shattered under the stress. "Danmit that's the third phone this week." Sakura slammed her fist against the desk before finally slumping into the chair.  
  
"I never realized that you had such a colorful vocabulary." Sakura didn't look up at him.  
  
"Bite me." Sakura looked up at him and was mildly surprised. "Sorry thought you were Eriol. So I suppose that Tomoyo found you on the island. I should yell at Mist I have told her so many times not to leave new people there but she never listens. Okay anyway I know that you have questions so go a head and ask and to your first question. No I will not." Syaoran quirked his eyebrow and looked at her quizzically.  
  
"What do you mean no?"  
  
"I mean I can't tell you even if I knew who Mist really was." Syaoran laughed.  
  
"Why Miss. Kinomoto you think that I would ask such a rude question of a lady like yourself." Syaoran walked over to the desk and took the chair opposite of her.  
  
"If you heard my language on the phone you would have never had called me that." Syaoran got up and circumvented the desk to stand right in front of her chair.  
  
"I did. and just because you have a colorful vocabulary does not mean you are not a lady. By all ways I think that you are the most beautiful lady that I have ever seen if not the only." Sakura looked at him oddly and finally cracked a smile which he quickly followed by his own.  
  
"You know I have to admit that you are very kind man but I would have never thought that about you at first glance." His smile broadened.  
  
"Well I try not to let my soft side out a lot but it just seems to come out every once in a while." Sakura laughed a true laugh. After she finished her fit she smiled a true smile something reserved for few now in her world.  
  
"Thank you I needed that after today." Syaoran only nodded.  
  
"I don't mean to be rude but. what was that phone call about." Sakura's smile faded.  
  
"My brother had called him telling him that it was okay if we got married well I don't want to marry him in the first place so." Syaoran smiled.  
  
"You told him off huh." Sakura nodded. "What's the real problem?" Sakura looked at him, no one had asked her that question not even Tomoyo wanted to know why her brother got so worked up about her getting married to the "proper" man.  
  
"The real problem. no one ever asked me that. the real problem is that my brother doesn't think that I am strong enough to control Ragged Blossom." Syaoran nodded and smiled in a devilish thought.  
  
"What what are you thinking?" Syaoran picked up his cell phone and threw it at her lightly.  
  
"First order some food, second cancel your plans because we have planning to do and its going to be a long night." Sakura smiled before making the phone calls.  
  
Dragonia: I hope you like it its not as long as I normal make them but this one I kinda planned I guess I really don't have to anyway I gotta go.  
  
Sakura: who else knows how Mist really is?  
  
Dragonia: I'm sorry I can't tell you.  
  
Sakura: why not.  
  
Dragonia: well it's supposed to be a surprise.  
  
Meiling: where I am in this story.  
  
Dragonia: I haven't gotten there yet.  
  
Meiling: okay.  
  
Syaoran: am I a player I'm confused?  
  
Dragonia: Men they always are.  
  
Sakura: wait is he?  
  
Dragonia: you'll see I'm not reveling anything at least not yet.  
  
Sakura: why not.  
  
Dragonia: cause there are readers and I don't want to ruin it for them.  
  
Sakura: there are. oh right cool.  
  
Syaoran: so is that it for today?  
  
Dragonia: yep bye see you next time. 


	3. Stuck

Dragonia: hey so tell me what are you all up to. wait do I really want to know. well if you want to tell me that's fine I might be able to solve a problem. okay well hmm were do I start.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Stuck  
  
It was clear by the thick whiteness outside the window that no one would be going to work or even outside their door. With the sudden onslaught of the blizzard many would be stuck at home. It also seemed as Sakura and Syaoran would be stuck at the house for a while. After a late dinner and a lot of planning, Syaoran took Sakura home to her penthouse on the cliff. Halfway there though the blizzard had started, and by the time they made it to her house they both decided it was better if he stayed at her place until it blew over.  
  
"Well I don't think that I will be leaving anytime soon." Syaoran pulled the curtain closed as he finished trying to figure out how deep it really was.  
  
"You know its times like this that I wish I stayed at work." Sakura was bundled up in two shirts, and three covers. Syaoran smiled, and walked over to the fireplace.  
  
"Is there any wood for the fireplace?" Sakura nodded and pointed to a door, Syaoran opened it and found that it was a closet full of fire wood. He looked over his shoulder at the shivering Sakura. "Well prepared."  
  
"Have to be . . . especially when you have a brother like mine." Syaoran pulled some logs out of the closet and placed them in the fireplace. He used the matches and got a fire started quickly.  
  
"You're good at that." Sakura stood up and walked up to stand next to him.  
  
"Well when you grew up like I did you kind of have to know it all." Sakura looked at him out of the corner of her eye and saw a flash of anger fly through his eyes.  
  
"Why are you angry?" Syaoran looked at her surprised for a minute.  
  
"In my life there wasn't much time to have a life, or rather to have my own. I always had to live up to what everyone else wanted. I had no time for fun, friends or for love. I really didn't mind not having that, it was just. I guess it was that I wanted to rule my own life. So I left with what little I had. haven't seen home since. I don't really want to either." Sakura looked at him for a while and then walked back to her seat.  
  
"You know that you are lucky to have a family even if they don't care about your well being. My mother is gone she died when I was five. My father, he well. he disappeared some think that he went crazy after our mother died. Maybe so but he loved both my brother and me. It was strange he left a note that said, "Do not cry for me, I'm were I'm supposed to be." He left my brother the house and money." Sakura looked at the fire and Syaoran watched as tears came to her eyes.  
  
"What did he leave you?" Sakura stared at the fire before answering.  
  
"He left me with a strong will, power, leadership, and the company which was called Sky High Cleaners. It was a start but it only took me a year in a half to turn it around. Now that I have done all the work my brother wants in on it. his plan is to get me a husband that can take it from me and sell it to him." Syaoran smiled and took her shoulders.  
  
"I think that he will have a hard time getting that when I'm here to help you." Sakura shook her head.  
  
"It's not what you are here to do. you are here to protect the people of this city." Syaoran nodded.  
  
"You are of this city and you are in a way my boss so you are my first priority." Sakura shook her head but Syaoran continued. "No matter what you say I will help you. I won't consider it a job. I will consider it a favor, besides I would love to help such a beautiful business woman as you." Sakura nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek. Syaoran sat down next to her and pulled the cover more firmly around her. "Do you think that Mist had anything to do with this?" Sakura looked at him surprised and then shook her head.  
  
"No Mist is more practical she. well she. No she's not that immature." Syaoran nodded. "So would you like something to drink?"  
  
"Sure some hot chocolate would be nice." Sakura went to the kitchen to make some while Syaoran sat and thought over the plan that they had started to discuss. There were still some minor glitches. For instance when he was with Mist working how would, he never finished his thought when he heard a scream from the kitchen. He ran and came to the door to find Sakura holding her hand.  
  
"Damn it." He walked around the table and saw the glass shattered on the floor and the blood dripping from Sakura's hand. He stepped over the glass and picked Sakura up off the ground and moved her to the opposite side of the kitchen. "You didn't have to do that." Sakura frowned at him.  
  
"Yes I did. I didn't want you to get hurt making me something to drink. Come let me see that."  
  
"I'm okay." Sakura shook her head, and he spoke suddenly in a more forceful tone.  
  
"Kinomoto let me see it." Sakura looked at him with surprise and allowed him to see her hand. The cut went deeper then Syaoran would have liked. Leading her to the bathroom and carefully cleaning the cut. He wrapped it tenderly, avoiding hurting Sakura more.  
  
"You're really good at that." Syaoran did not look up at her.  
  
"My sister's always got hurt I learned early how to heal, because no one else could stand the sight of blood." Sakura watched as Syaoran tied the cloth, he helped her to her feet and into the living room.  
  
"Thank you." Syaoran sat down beside her.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For helping me and for asking questions everyone else would be afraid to ask." Syaoran got to his feet and throw another log into the fire.  
  
"Kinomoto."  
  
"Sakura please." Syaoran shook his head.  
  
"I will only call you Kinomoto." Sakura shook her head but did not comment further. "I only know what you have told me. but from the sound of it. it's almost as if you are. alone." Sakura rose from her seat and they both sat in front of that fire.  
  
"have you ever had a time in your life were you cant move forward without hurting someone, you cant stay where you are without hurting yourself, and there is no where to go back to." Syaoran nodded he was in that position before he came here. "Well that's where I am and I don't think that I will be able to choose anything so I have decided to leave the. company to Tomoyo and. disappear. forever." Syaoran looked at her.  
  
"Kinomoto," She looked at him, "tell me are you a quitter. because from what you have told me you don't sound like it. From what I've heard you built this company from nothing. Not only that but you love it, if nothing else push for it to be the best push yourself to be great. no matter the cost."  
  
"You sound like you know what you are talking about." Syaoran shook his head and pulled the poker out to poke at the fire.  
  
"You have something to fight for that's right here. I lost what I was fighting for so I fight for whoever needs to fight but cant fight alone." Sakura smiled.  
  
"Well Li I guess this means were partners." Syaoran nodded.  
  
"Kinomoto this also means were stuck." Syaoran got to his feet and pulled Sakura to hers. Suddenly they both realized how close they were. "We are going to be this close a lot more so you might want to get used to it." Sakura pulled herself away.  
  
"I think no." Sakura stopped in mid sentence when Syaoran was standing inches from her.  
  
"Kinomoto you might be able to avoid other guys but you won't avoid me." Sakura suddenly felt how tight his arms were around her. How close they were, how their lips were inches apart, and how much she wanted it.  
  
"Please Li. I don't want to."  
  
"Get involved." Syaoran finished for her and she only nodded. "You can't run forever. but I think this time I will let you go. but remember the plan." Sakura opened her mouth but Syaoran silenced her. "By the way don't try to back out of it. you are mine. Sakura Kinomoto." Syaoran let her go as she walked silently to her room.  
  
Once Sakura was inside her room she pulled out her cell phone and speed dialed 2 (one was her home, which was rarely ever called now) it rang seven or eight times before someone answered.  
  
"Sakura what it's.. 3 o'clock in the morning." Sakura didn't speak for a minute and Tomoyo was suddenly awake. It was weird for Sakura to call this early but it happened. it was even odder for Sakura to be silent.  
  
"Tomoyo I think. I think that I was just. I think that Li is weird." Tomoyo was lost.  
  
"Sakura what happened." So after Sakura told Tomoyo the story she just laughed.  
  
"Tomoyo what's so funny?" Sakura was angry that Tomoyo found what happened to her so funny.  
  
"Sakura he was flirting with you or rather being overprotective. I think he lo."  
  
"No Tomoyo don't say it I don't care if he does I just want to." Sakura was interrupted by a knock on her door.  
  
"Hey Sakura are you hungry I made some stir fry." Sakura walked over to the door and stood against it.  
  
"Yeah thanks I'll be out in a minute or two." Sakura was suddenly attacked by yelling in her ear.  
  
"SAKURA YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THAT HE WAS STILL THERE." Sakura held the phone a foot away from her while Tomoyo was having her rampage.  
  
"Where did you think he would go it did snow here you know." Tomoyo looked out her window and was looking at the stars in the sky. It was clear as day and Sakura was about five miles from where she was living.  
  
"Uh Sakura its clear as day here." Sakura ran to her window and opened the curtain. Sakura was still looking at snow.  
  
"Well Tomoyo here. I can't see outside because of all the snow we have. I can't even go to the attic and crawl out a window." Tomoyo thought for a minute and finally realized what was happening.  
  
"Okay Sakura it will take a while but I can get a crew in to get you out but you are going to be stuck for two or three day." Sakura was furious.  
  
"Tomoyo you can't do that I have to be at work tomorrow." Sakura pulled the curtains closed.  
  
"Look Sakura don't worry I will take care of it. I have been in all the meetings and you have taught me to take care of everything. So relax you needed a break so take it." Sakura sighed.  
  
"So you're telling me that I am stuck for the weekend in my own home with Li Syaoran the police sergeant." Tomoyo held in a laugh.  
  
"Have fun." Tomoyo hung up and turned to face someone next to her in bed.  
  
"So who was that?" Came a husky voice from the figure.  
  
"That was Sakura. Eriol honey we don't have to worry about them for the weekend there stuck." Eriol smiled and then looked at her quizzically.  
  
"Wait what do you mean by "them"?" Tomoyo looked at him and them turned to lie next to him.  
  
"I mean that Li took Sakura home last night and a blizzard trapped them both at her house." Tomoyo sighed and fell asleep. Eriol smiled and looked out the window.  
  
"It seems that dear Syaoran is deeper then even he wants to be.  
  
Sakura's house  
  
Sakura sighed as she hung up the phone something was going on. Something bid and Tomoyo wasn't telling her. Sakura rose to her feet and left her room and headed towards the kitchen.  
  
"So you finally emerged from your room. how's Tomoyo?" Sakura watched as Syaoran was basking in the comment he had just made.  
  
"Oh she's great she's having sex with Eriol." Sakura knew that this was true because she heard his snoring in the background. Syaoran squirted milk out of his nose in hearing this, Sakura couldn't suppress a laugh at this. Syaoran was angry and Sakura could see it plainly so she ran into the living room and around the couch.  
  
"Kinomoto you can't run forever." Sakura laughed as milk dripped from his nose.  
  
"Li I have spent my life running from people like you." Syaoran suddenly lost all emotion.  
  
"What do you mean people like me?" Sakura realized it after she said it and slapped her hand over her mouth. Sakura shook her head and backed up to the wall. Syaoran walked over to her and put his hands on either side of her so that she had no where to go.  
  
"No I can't." Sakura whispered, but Syaoran heard her.  
  
"Why?" his tone was not forceful like it was when he wanted to see her hand it was gentle almost concerned.  
  
"That's my past it's behind me." Sakura looked away from him. Sakura felt the warmth on her face before she realized what it was. He moved her face so that she was looking into his eyes.  
  
"Tell me what happened." It was not a question or an order it was more a suggestion that was meant to be followed. Sakura sighed and tears started to roll freely down her face. Just thinking of that night brought the terror she felt back.  
  
"When I was sixteen I had." Sakura closed her eyes and collapsed into Syaoran's arms.  
  
Dragonia: sorry I'm leaving it like this I know you want to know what happened to her it's just well I'm stuck so you will just have to wait and see. Thanks to my BETA READER. 


	4. Truth

Dragonia: hey I'm back again I'm sorry if I am a little slower in updating it's just been a hard beginning month. Please forgive me. Anyway if this section seems kind of sad that's because that's the kind of mood I'm in.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Truth  
  
Syaoran looked over his shoulder and watched as Sakura breathed up and down it was rhythmic and it hypnotized him. He watched as she continued to breath, it had been three hours since she fainted. She had never finished her sentence. Syaoran was pulled form his revere when her phone rung.  
  
'Who would be calling at this hour?' Syaoran thought about it and then pulled himself up and answered the phone.  
  
"Hello, who is this?" Syaoran answered the phone emotionlessly.  
  
"Hello who are you?" the voice sounded angry and confused.  
  
"This is Sergeant Li Syaoran." Syaoran suddenly heard a quick intake of breath.  
  
"What happened to Sakura where is she?" Syaoran took a second and looked at Sakura.  
  
"Besides being stuck in her own home, nothing." Syaoran heard the exhale of breath. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Touya could you put her on the phone." Syaoran sighed.  
  
"She's sleeping but I can tell her you called."  
  
"Can you tell me what kind of relationship you to have." Syaoran thought for a minute.  
  
"Well if she didn't think that you should know then neither do I." Syaoran heard the sharp intake of breath.  
  
"Li put her on the phone right now." Syaoran shook his head.  
  
"She's sleeping and I will not wake her up but I will tell you this stop ruling her life she doesn't need your help. I am here and if you think that you can take the corporation you can drop dead." Syaoran hung up not waiting for a reply. He pulled the cord from the wall not wanting it to wake up Sakura.  
  
He watched Sakura as her dreams got more restless. She was thrashing about more and more. Suddenly she screamed in fear. Syaoran pulled Sakura into a sitting position.  
  
"Sakura wake up come on." Sakura suddenly jolted awake she looked around like a rabbit running for her life. "You okay." Sakura shook her head.  
  
"No I had. it was weird. I saw a woman she was giving a child away to someone. The woman said that the child was their only hope. That it was the future of the whole world." Sakura shook her head trying to forget the dream.  
  
"Sakura if you don't want to talk about what happened, its okay I understand." Sakura's eyes softened.  
  
"No I guess you aren't like the people I spent running from." Sakura sighed and continued. "When I was 16 I had a boyfriend. He was everything I thought I wanted. At first he was sympathetic and kind. Then he slowly started to change becoming possessive, and abusive. I remember the day I decided to leave him. Tomoyo had come over to hang out for a while I had planned it perfectly so that she wouldn't be there. Just in case he was in a bad mood. Well at least I had thought I had planned it well I have never thought that he would come home early." Sakura sighed and stood up. "He returned home to find me arguing with Tomoyo about fashion. I don't exactly remember how it happened but somewhere in the argument I heard him come in and froze. Of course Tomoyo was worried the fear that passed through my eyes turned her white. He threw Tomoyo out and did this." Sakura pulled the back of her shirt up to reveal ten lash lines that were angrily lashed a crossed her back. Syaoran was beside her in a second.  
  
"He did this all because you were talking to Tomoyo." Sakura shook her head.  
  
"You see Tomoyo was setting me up on a date or at least that's what he thought." Syaoran nodded and pulled Sakura to sit down.  
  
"Wait you said "people like you" is there more then just him." Sakura's laugh was without harmony more like hatred.  
  
"Yes my brother was possessive of everything, my second boyfriend was well. he didn't live long. You see my second boyfriend seemed to turn out the same way. That's when I met Mist. She changed my life. Of course I haven't had a love life since." Sakura looked at him from the corner of her eye. Syaoran was deep in thought and after a minute or two he finally said.  
  
"Do you think that Mist could have noticed that and did this?" Sakura looked at him and then laughed.  
  
"Come off it you met her. Do you really think that she would do this?" Syaoran just nodded. "But . . . well . . . no she wouldn't . . . okay maybe . . . But I highly doubt it . . . I mean she has never . . . but then again she . . . What am I thinking? No." Syaoran smiled.  
  
"Like having conversation with yourself?" Sakura joined him in laughter.  
  
"So what do you want to talk about now?" Sakura smiled an evil smile.  
  
"Tell me does the cute police sergeant have a girlfriend?" Syaoran looked at her and nodded. "Really what's her name?"  
  
"Sakura." Syaoran smiled as confusion played across her face.  
  
"Yes?" Sakura watched as he leaned over to her.  
  
"You are my." he closed the gap and kissed her lightly pulling slightly away only to finish his sentence. "Girlfriend." Sakura still had surprise written all over her face when he pulled her towards him for a second round.  
  
"Li I can't, no, it's not what I want." Syaoran put his finger to her lips.  
  
"Now did you not say that you wanted to no longer have to worry about people coming after your company," Sakura simply nodded not being able to speak. "Well, I can guarantee you that I will never ever as long as I am alive I will never let anyone take your company from you." Syaoran smiled down at her.  
  
"What about you who will stop you from taking my comp." again he placed his finger on her lips.  
  
"You will my dear, by this time next year you will have me wrapped around your finger." Sakura shivered as Syaoran touched her face.  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of." Syaoran was lost.  
  
"Li you are this free spirit that travels the world. I will not be the one to take that away from you. Essentially breaking that spirit." Sakura stood and walked over to the mantel.  
  
"Sakura," Sakura went ridged she realized that this was the first time that he had really said her name. "You have not broken nor will you ever. You have awoken things in me that I am still not sure about." Sakura turned to see the truth written in his eyes. "Call me Syaoran."  
  
"Li."  
  
"Syaoran."  
  
"Please I don't think that I can do this." Sakura started to shake violently and Syaoran was next to her in a second. Sakura looked at him and then ran to her room locking it behind her. Syaoran was baffled by her reaction.  
  
'No I don't care I swore so long ago that I would not allow any man back into my life.' Sakura was facing a mirror. Her reflection was now her heart.  
  
'Come now you know you want him.' the face in the mirror replied.  
  
'No I will not I don't care how much he.' Sakura stared at the reflection and saw that Syaoran was there at the door, 'I could have sworn that I locked that.' She turned to look at him and watched as he came forward. Her body was out of her control.  
  
'You see Sakura this is what's in your heart let it be.' Sakura started to shake.  
  
'No. no I don't want to have.' Sakura was suddenly pulled from the fake world and was now staring at the mirror once again. Using her right hand (opposite from the cut hand) she punched the mirror shattering it.  
  
Living Room  
  
Syaoran was sitting sipping on some tea when he heard the loud shattering. He jumped clear over the couch and ran down the hall stopping at Sakura's door.  
  
"Kinomoto. Kinomoto are you okay?" he waited for a response but when he heard none. He broke the door open. He looked around and saw Sakura slumped by the closet door. "Kinomoto what's wrong?" she looked over at the window a far away look in her eyes.  
  
"You know that I never planed on this. That the way it is though, love hits you when you least expect it." Sakura was hiding her hand so that Syaoran wouldn't see her bruised knuckles. Syaoran looked around at all the shattered glass and how Sakura was nursing her opposite hand.  
  
"No it's never planned but that's what makes it so exciting." Syaoran stepped over all the glass. "Now let me see what you did."  
  
"Have you ever had that feeling where one part of you wants something so bad that they would kill for it and the other doesn't want it so bad that it will also kill for it. Which part wins?" Sakura looked up at him expectantly.  
  
"You should follow your heart it has all the answers." Hearing this her heart soured but her head clamped it down.  
  
"What if the hearts wrong?" Syaoran looked at her and realized her pain.  
  
"Well then the only thing that is left to face is what you want body mind and soul." Sakura thought over this her eyes glistening in the semi darkness.  
  
"I'm not sure what I want my body wants one thing and my heart another, my soul is well quite." Syaoran thought for a moment.  
  
"Then let the truth come out don't hold it in." Sakura looked at him quizzically then finally sighed.  
  
"That's just it I don't know what the truth is." Syaoran sat down beside her.  
  
"Follow your heart it will never lead you wrong." Sakura shook her head.  
  
"What if I get hurt?" Syaoran smiled allowing her to see his pearly whites.  
  
"Sakura I wont let that happen. . . I promise." Sakura heard her name again and for some reason it felt right.  
  
"Li you can't promise that I mean." Syaoran placed his finger on her lips.  
  
"Sakura call me Syaoran." Sakura could feel all the strength that she had leave her gone in an instance.  
  
"Syaoran I think that I." Sakura fell asleep in his arms. Syaoran sighed this was not going as he planned. It never did though he laid Sakura on her bed. Pulling her hand into his he wondered what was going through her mind. He looked over to her nightstand and again saw the shattered glass. Rising to his full height he walked over and cleaned up the mess.  
  
Syaoran heard Sakura mumbling in her sleep. Closing the distance with little time he looked down and saw her restless in her sleep.  
  
"Syaoran." his ears reddened, was she dreaming about him. "Why. why do you tease me so?"  
  
Syaoran shook his head 'it's just a fantasy.'  
  
"The truth. I can't. he is. hmmm.." Syaoran looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. What was she dreaming about? "Truthfully my heart leaps and my mind screams no every time he walks into the room."  
  
Sakura's Dream  
  
Sakura was facing a woman that was as tall as she was. Sakura had met this person many times in and outside her dreams. Mist was one of her dearest friends. Mist seemed to know exactly what she wanted.  
  
"Mist the truth I'm not so sure that I know what it is." Sakura looked around the two of were sitting in the middle of the sea. Flouting above the water in such away that it was eerily quiet, yet for Sakura that wasn't the weird part the weird part wasn't scared of falling.  
  
"Sakura my dear. the truth is that you want to be near him. that you want to be next to him." Sakura shook her head.  
  
"How can that. I can't. you and I both know the last time that I faced a man." The green eyes of her companion flashed.  
  
"Sakura they weren't men they were monsters. I didn't think that I would have to continue but it looks like I will have to." Mist smiled and started to disappear.  
  
"Please don't leave again I hate it when you leave." Mist reappeared.  
  
"Sakura face the facts. Face what your heart wants, your mind is boggling it too much and confusing you. Don't listen to it over ride it. You have done it before so do it again." Sakura shook her head and pulled herself away making the ocean disappear to be replaced by absolute darkness.  
  
"You remember the last time I did that, that was the day that I meet you that was the day that I swore never to fall for a man again." Sakura walked with Mist until they came to a glad.  
  
"Sakura listen to me well. You have helped me come so far and now I am in a way happy. So now it is my job to make you happy." Sakura smiled and nodded her head. Then she remembered what Syaoran had asked her.  
  
"Mist did you. I mean. were you the one that made the snow?" Mist looked at her with this look in her eyes. It was so far beyond evil that it scared Sakura.  
  
"Now why would I do such a thing like that?" Mist laughed and disappeared, leaving Sakura to question her answer.  
  
Syaoran  
  
Meanwhile the one left awake was wondering what Sakura had meant when she said in her sleep. "Please don't leave again I hate it when you leave." For Syaoran this was weird he wasn't even going to leave. Sitting on the couch staring into the fire, it sparkled with life.  
  
"So Mr. Li how does it feel to be in a house with a woman that holds the power to mostly all of Japan?" Syaoran sprang from his seat and wheeled around to see someone standing before him.  
  
Dragonia: I'm sorry I just had to do that. I know it's really mean.  
  
Sakura: does anyone really read any of my comments that she makes?  
  
Dragonia: I just want to say that if I don't update soon that I am sorry because I'm really busy with my senior seminar project because I don't want to fail. So I am really really sorry if I don't update anytime soon don't get mad at me. 


	5. Protect

Dragonia: okay I am SO sorry that it has been so long since I have updated but I have been so busy. So anyway enough of the chatter I'm sure you want to read the rest of the fic.  
  
Last Chapter  
  
"So Mr. Li how does it feel to be in a house with a woman that holds the power to mostly all of Japan?" Syaoran sprang from his seat and wheeled around to see someone standing before him.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Protect  
  
"Mist how did you. I was right, you are the one that did this?" it was more of a statement then a question.  
  
"Of Course Li you are correct I am the one that did this. Sakura only thinks that I control Mist but I control far much more then just mist. Don't get me wrong Sakura is smart but also naïve." Mist walked over and picked up one of the cups with tea.  
  
"So why did you do it?" Mist looked over her shoulder her black hair unhindered swayed in the faint darkness there was still a glint in Mist's eyes.  
  
"Why do you think I did it?" Mist bent down and stirred the fire and faced him in one fluid motion.  
  
"You want her to be happy. and you think I can make her happy." Mist smiled and Syaoran could see her eyes glint with more mischief in the darkness.  
  
"Essentially I don't care whether it's you or someone else but she is attracted to you whether she will admit it or not. well only time will tell. Besides why should I waste my time searching when you will do at least for now." Syaoran face suddenly hardened and his smile faded.  
  
"What do you mean at least for now?" Mist walked to the kitchen and made a motion for him to follow. In the light of the kitchen he could see that she was wearing a blood red leather outfit much like the one before. He could see clearly that she had something on her lower to middle back. It was a tattoo a flower that seemed as if it had been poisoned for it was black. When she turned around he noticed a second that wrapped up her leg. It seemed to be a vine. Syaoran realized belatedly that this vine was all over her body and the flower on her lower back wasn't the only one.  
  
"I mean that all men eventually turn into monsters. even you." Syaoran pulled his sight from her and looked at the counter.  
  
"Mist I have seen what she looks like hurt. I have seen her scars. I swore that I would never let anyone and that includes me, hurt her." Mist walked over to him and fiercely grabbed his chin.  
  
"Does that mean that if you knew that you had no choice but to hurt her would you kill yourself to save her?" Syaoran did not hesitate to answer her and with the same fierceness and a glare.  
  
"Without a question yes I would." Mist let go of his chin and only nodded.  
  
A prolonged silence followed only broken by the crackling of the fire in the other room.  
  
"Mist your tattoo's where did you. how did you get them?" Mist sighed taking her seat across the table from him.  
  
"I gather Eriol told you much of the story but there is so much more to it." Mist looked over her shoulder to the hallway where Sakura was sleeping. "You see Sakura and I are very much alike. When I was working at the department, I received a call from a witness saying that there was a shootout down at one of the chemical factories near the bay. So of course I went although my partner Eriol was nowhere to be found. Even then I was a vigilantly though the chief at the time let me go because Eriol could control at least some of what I did." Mist sighed falling back to her memories of one night.  
  
"I went there hoping to quell the fighting, when I got close I did not hear shooting of any kind. I thought that I had missed it, I should have left but something my curiosity I suppose, made me continue on into the warehouse. Within there were many vats, but of course I was a novice and I didn't really pay attention to my surroundings. I should have for then I might not. anyway I continued further scouting each room. I found nothing so I returned my gun to my pouch and headed for the exit. when I arrived I was faced with about ten men and a woman. Someone I had never seen, she said that I was a pawn in a bigger war and that I should give up.  
  
"Of course I reached for my gun. my hand never made it to the grip. she made an example of me. Her men threw me into one of the vats, a chemical compound that I have yet to find, something I would not wish on my worst enemy. The pain that I felt the bones twisting and pulling it was almost as if I was being skinned alive. I remember losing consciousness. When I awoke I found myself on the bay outside the warehouse. Surprisingly that same warehouse was burning to the ground. I still haven't figured out how I got out because at the time I didn't know that I had this ability. I fled Tokyo cause I couldn't face the world. Not looking like this so I went to Tomoeda my home I guess you could say." Mist finished her story and walked to the hallway looking down to where Sakura was sleeping once again.  
  
"That's where you met Sakura right?" Mist looked over her shoulder, this was the first time she had spent time with anyone other then Eriol or Sakura.  
  
"I guess you could say that." Mist walked into the living room and sat on the couch.  
  
"Mist you want her to be happy right but with her brother and everyone else against her. What are you to her?" Mist looked at him he wanted more then the truth.  
  
"Ask the question you really want to know not what is trifle." Mist waited while Syaoran thought over his question again.  
  
"Why does Sakura seem like she is on the brink of a void?" Syaoran was speaking of when she seemed in a different world when she was near the window and seemed to be in a different place then here in the house. Mist smiled something that was between sadness and gentleness.  
  
"There are things in her life that she has yet to face. if you ask her of her past she just pushes the conversation a different way and no one questions her cause she is the boss. She doesn't want to remember and at the point when her mind overflows with things that she has to do her mind snaps. For anyone else it would be considered a mental break down. for Sakura it is her whole world crashing down." Mist looked at him with her black hair silhouetting her face. "If by any chance she were to fall in love it might stop she might be able to face those fears and life her life fully and completely."  
  
"What if she doesn't?" Syaoran sat down next to Mist.  
  
"If she fails to fall in love, someday those breakdowns might very well kill her." Syaoran stood and pulled Mist to her feet.  
  
"What. what is so terrifying for her that she has these breakdowns?" Mist paused and looked to the floor. Taking her time almost as if she wanted to tell him everything, Mist understood what Sakura was going through. Yet she would not tell Syaoran for he was a man, and men were monsters no matter how nice they seemed at first.  
  
"Sakura's past is not mine to tell because she holds it and only she has the right to tell you what happened to her." Syaoran nodded and walked to the window. Pulling back the curtain he saw nothing but white. "I must go. I have mush to do before the snow can disappear." Mist said this with a wicked smile. Syaoran turned to face her.  
  
"Before you go. can you maybe heal Sakura's hands?" Mist looked at him.  
  
"She asked me a long time ago to never heal her." Syaoran nodded and Mist continued. "But since you asked I will do it as a simple thank you. that is for taking care of Sakura this weekend." Mist walked down the hallway and slowly faded before she reached the door. Syaoran slumped down on the couch.  
  
Three hours later  
  
Eyelashes fluttered in the darkness, jade eyes reflected the darkness like a mirror. Since the glass was already cleaned up there was little need for light in the darkness. Rising from the bed and heading to the closet. Removing, her simple nightgown for more distinct clothing for being stuck in the house. A pair of pants and a tank top that tied at the bottom revealing her stomach. Closing the closet door she found her way in the dark to the hallway. At the end of the hall the living room glowed lightly of the fading fire. On the cough laid Syaoran deep in a dreamless sleep.  
  
Stirring the fire and sitting in front of the couch she looked at Syaoran and smiled something akin to maternal remembrance. Sakura leaned her head on the couch and felt his slight movements.  
  
"You know you look cute when you sleep." Sakura said when Syaoran pulled her up onto the couch.  
  
"You talk in yours." Sakura froze remembering what she had said in her dreams. Syaoran felt her fear and whispered into her ear.  
  
"Don't worry the only thing that you said was "Please don't leave again I hate it when you leave" so don't worry I don't know what it was about." Sakura sat up and so did Syaoran.  
  
"What time is it?" Sakura looked at her watch.  
  
"Nine." Syaoran nodded and looked at Sakura.  
  
"Do you think Tomoyo will get us out of here today?" Sakura simply nodded. "When?"  
  
"If I know Tomoyo then it will be late 8 or 9 at night. She will put it off until she absolutely has to come get us." Syaoran went to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with two mugs. Handing the mug to Sakura he asked her some questions.  
  
"So what do you want to do for twelve hours?" Sakura looked at her hands and was wondering how they had gotten healed totally ignoring his question.  
  
"What did you ask me, I'm sorry I was trying to figure out how my hands healed?" Syaoran laughed and Sakura looked at him. "What's so funny?"  
  
"Mist stopped by," Sakura looked at him confusing written all over her face, "we had a nice long talk especially about the mystery of the snow." Sakura looked oddly at him.  
  
"What does that have to do with my cuts?" Syaoran took her hands and looked at where her cuts should have been.  
  
"Well Mist told me that normally she wouldn't heal them but since I asked she would consider it a favor to me." Sakura looked at him nodding as she rose to her feet. Sakura walked to the kitchen quickly followed by Syaoran.  
  
"I should cook." Syaoran took her hands into his stopping her in mid sentence.  
  
"I think that I will cook. because every time you cook you seem to get hurt." Sakura blushed at his worriment. Syaoran smiled and continued, "Maybe because I distract you with my perfect body." Syaoran smiled wickedly. Sakura playfully slapped him and nodded sitting on one of the stools waiting for him to start.  
  
"Well?" Syaoran smiled and opened the freezer door. Sakura walked over to the radio and turned it on.  
  
"Any specific interests?" Syaoran smiled at the first thought that came to his mind but changed it instead for a less.  
  
"Whatever you want is fine." "Do you think you love me? Do you think you love me? I think I love you I'm sleeping right in the middle of a big dream like all my friends I wake up from something that keeps knocking at my brain before I go insane I hold my pillow to my head and spring up on my bed screaming out the words I dread. I think I love you." (I do not own the following song so do not yell at me. Kaci- I think I love you.)  
  
"So tell me is there some reason you stopped at this song." Sakura shook her head no in answer.  
  
"So Li tell me do you think you love me?" Sakura was giggling at her reference to the song.  
  
"I've never felt this way." Sakura looked at him and he was very serious. "What are you afraid of.? Sakura." her name was almost a whisper and Sakura was quite surprised.  
  
"Nothing." Syaoran smiled and turned back to his cooking. Leaving her to wonder what had just happened.  
  
"BRING BRING." Sakura looked around to find out where that noise was coming from and then she realized that it was her phone.  
  
"Hello." Sakura answered happily for the first time in a long time.  
  
"Hello Kaiiju." Sakura froze and Syaoran knew something was wrong.  
  
"Touya what do you want?" Sakura heard him laugh on the other end.  
  
"Why do you not call me brother?"  
  
"Because I have no brother to me he and my family is dead as it should be." She heard a sharp intake of breath.  
  
"So tell me little sister what kind of relationship are you and this Li kid in?" Sakura smiled something akin to the devil.  
  
"Touya why should I tell you first of all its none of your business who I date or for that matter who I choose to keep company with."  
  
"WHY YOU UNGRAETFUL, I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS ALL THAT I HAVE EVER DONE FOR YOU. YOU ARE GOING TO TELL ME THAT I DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHOM YOU GO OUT WITH. WHY YOU BIT." Sakura was now more upset then she had ever been.  
  
"No dear brother you listen to me you have done shit for me. besides even if I did not hang out with him you would never get the company because I would rather die then give it up." Sakura looked at Syaoran he only smiled an encouraging smile.  
  
"Sakura you know that I can arrange so that each one of your buddies you never see again especially that Li kid."  
  
"First off he is a sergeant, second you do realize that I can have you arrested, and lastly Mist is with me and I really do think that she would love to pay you back for that deadly wound on her arm." Sakura could tell that she had only quelled the fire that she knew he had. "Goodbye Touya as of now you have no say in my life. I have someone else who will protect me." Sakura hung up and Syaoran pulled her into his arms. "You will right?" Syaoran looked down at her tears forming in her cloudy jade eyes.  
  
"Of course Sakura I will always protect you." Sakura nodded and hugged him a little tighter.  
  
Outside there was a rumbling sound of a car pulling up. Sakura and Syaoran separated and went to the curtains in the living room.  
  
Dragonia: I apologize for it taking me so long to write this one its just I have been overwhelmed with things to do so I hope you like this one I haven't figured out what's going to happen next. 


	6. Relive a Nightmare

Dragonia: okay I have been bored and nobody is updating in the stories that I am reading so I will write some more. Okay here it goes.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Relive a Nightmare  
  
Opening the curtain revealed a yard with snow that was melting and two cars. One that was a bronze corvette and a second that had just pulled up was a white convertible. The door to the convertible opened and out stepped Tomoyo wearing a short black leather skirt and a tank top that showed her smooth stomach. Tomoyo wore little makeup that showed her features well. Her outfit was made for clubbing and her high boots where a fashion statement to Sakura. Sakura was out the door and yelling at Tomoyo before Eriol even opened his door. Syaoran was standing at the open doorway waiting to see what would happen.  
  
"Tomoyo you waited all this time just to come and see if we were okay you never even called." Tomoyo giggled and Sakura continued.  
  
"Sakura I think that you are forgetting something." Sakura whipped around so fast that it seemed like she would lose her balance, but she didn't.  
  
"And what is that?" Syaoran walked over to Sakura and whispered into her ear something that made her eerily quite.  
  
"Sakura now tell me where are your keys and then you and I can go talk about it some more." Gaining somewhat of her composure she replied in a low voice.  
  
"On the kitchen table." Syaoran disappeared into the house and Tomoyo placed her hand on Sakura's Shoulder.  
  
"Sakura what did he say?" Tomoyo seemed a lot more worried then she should have been. Tomoyo had always known Sakura to be cool calm and composed to see her quite or for that matter speechless as she had just been was unsettling for Tomoyo.  
  
"That he only new of one way." Sakura turned to face Tomoyo. "I need you to go to the office and find my private files. the ones that are about." Tomoyo nodded understanding without having Sakura to finish. "Thank you." Tomoyo nodded and turned around finding Eriol waiting near the front of the car.  
  
"Get in the car." Eriol looked at her, he was the cop and she was ordering him around. "Now Eriol." Suddenly Eriol noticed that she looked much fiercer then before. He scrambled to the car soon followed by Tomoyo. Sakura was pulled from her revere and for a minute laughed. Sakura watched as Tomoyo turned the car and sped out of the driveway taking the fastest route to the office. Sakura's smile disappeared when she felt a hand on the small of her back. Syaoran's breath was warm and sent shivers down her spine as he whispered into her ear.  
  
"Come I think that we should go eat some real food." Sakura nodded. Allowing Syaoran to drive it was a quite ride as Sakura flouted off in her memories of a time when her family was just that a family.  
  
Flashback  
  
"Sakura, Touya come inside its time for dinner!" Nadeshiko hollered out the kitchen door. A young girl no older then seven stepped up onto the porch from the white wonderland of the back yard. She was soon followed by an adolescent teen (well almost).  
  
"Mommy, when is daddy coming home." Behind Nadeshiko came the sound of the kitchen door opening.  
  
"I'm right here angel." That was a pet name that he had given her, Sakura ran to her father embracing in the warmth that he had. "You were both good for your mother, right?" he ruffled Touya's hair and gave them both a fake stern look. Sakura nodded her head furiously, Touya simply answered a yea.  
  
"Come you three its time to eat." Together as a family they sat down to eat.  
  
End of Flashback  
  
Sakura realized that that was truly the last time that they would be happy. That was also the night that Touya had become a tyrant.  
  
Flashback  
  
"Father I do not care what you say I will not marry her." She could hear the yelling from the top of the stairs.  
  
"Touya you are still young and you have a few more years but I thought I should tell you now so as you can adjust." Sakura could hear the yelling continue and then Touya came running up the stairs and looked at her.  
  
"You were always his favorite. in a few years I will leave and you will get everything you want just like you always do." Sakura wasn't sure what he meant by this she was still too young to really understand what was going on.  
  
"Toya what's going on?" Touya looked at her suddenly he gave her a wicked smile. "Sakura I want you to go out with dad tonight. okay." Sakura nodded wanting to make her brother happy. So her and her father left that night to go shopping...  
  
End of Flashback Had she known then what she knew now she would have never left but she was gullible and young. She didn't know what was going on until she was in the hospital sitting next to her dead father's body. Years later she learned that the break wire had snapped, but a few members of the police force believed that it was cut. That's when she knew not only had her brother planned her fathers death but also hers. Yet after so many years no one could prove it. Then her mother's death when she was 19. She remembered it clearly for she witnessed it first hand.  
  
Flashback  
  
"Hello mother how are you?" Nadeshiko smiled at her daughter she had grown beautifully, but she still hadn't seemed to be able to get over her father's death too well.  
  
"Sakura, it is so good of you to visit. Come let us take a walk." Sakura nodded, it was dusk and there was a light mist that was rolling in and it gave the sunset a otherworldly look.  
  
"So tell me mother. How are you?' Nadeshiko took a few minutes looking at the sunset before answering her daughter.  
  
"Well I am okay but I do miss your brother. I know that we have all had our differences but. your brother when he was younger was smart. I believe that it was wrong of us to send him off to get married into a family." Nadeshiko looked down almost as if she was ashamed.  
  
"Now mother Touya was stubborn and the only reason that he complied was because it was father's last wish." Sakura wished that it was as simple as that. As the years continued following her father's death Sakura learned of what had truly happened. When she finally gained a boyfriend he was well. it didn't matter. Mist was the real reason that Touya had left. With Mist ever present Touya knew that he would not be able to get within a mile of his sister without her knowing.  
  
"I know." she looked at her daughter. "Sakura I hope that you do not blame yourself for your fathers death." Sakura shook her head.  
  
"No mother I have never blamed myself." Nadeshiko looked at her and smiled sadly.  
  
"Good come we should get some dinner at the diner." Sakura nodded and followed her mother across the street. Sakura was a step behind her mother when suddenly there came shots from the park. Sakura watched in horror as the first bullet hit a close friend of hers that was standing a little further down the street. The second cracking a store window, and the third lodged itself into her mothers chest. Sakura heard a bloodcurdling scream, her body shook as her voice left her she ran to her mother and lifted her into her lap.  
  
"Mother. Mother, are you okay?" she watched as her mother blinked and the life was slowly drained from her. Everything after that was a blur until Tomoyo took her home. Even then Sakura still wasn't sure what had happened. There was a hostage episode and three stray bullets went off, Nadeshiko was the only fatality. Sakura had no voice until she got home and when she did she screamed so that only the birds could hear her mournful cry.  
  
End of Flashback  
  
Sakura was pulled from her reverie by a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see Syaoran sitting in the driver's seat with a strange look on his face.  
  
"Are you okay?" Sakura nodded while tears rolled freely down her face. Sakura looked around and noticed that they where at a condo.  
  
"I thought that we were going to get something to eat?" Syaoran nodded and answered her handing her a tissue.  
  
"You fell asleep so I came here since we were closer." Sakura nodded cleaning her face. "Can you tell me what happened?" Sakura looked at him, and shook her head.  
  
"No not yet you are not ready for that. or the other horror that I know." There was one more then that Sakura had witnessed that was much worse then her father or her mother's death. "Li," he flinched her words were cold and harsh. "I have to go Tomoyo is here and I need to think. I'm sorry we will talk about the plan tomorrow. I need some time alone." Syaoran nodded and let her go he watched her get in with Tomoyo and they drove away. Syaoran was lost what just happened.  
  
Tomoyo's Car  
  
"Here are the files that you wanted." Sakura nodded and pulled out a few papers. Reviewing the papers and remembering the horror of that day. It was two years after her mother's death. She had a small circle of friends when before she left college three people.  
  
"Jake Newell, Jet Caraway, and Diana Newell." They were from America so they weren't popular but they were fun to hang with. Sakura remembered it, the one time that Mist couldn't save them. Sakura sighed and put the file in her briefcase.  
  
"Tomoyo take me to the office I need a quite place to think." Tomoyo nodded and drove to the office without any more conversation passing between them.  
  
Office  
  
Sakura pulled open the passageway and closed it behind her. Sakura couldn't stand it anymore. She wanted freedom she wanted to run her life was falling apart before her. She could hear the heavy pounding of the rain on the windows of the office. Sakura pushed open the balcony doors. The wind blew some of the rain in misting her cloths. Sakura turned to her private closet and pulled a white dress from within. Light and unornamented, she wore it as she looked over the city. Night had come quickly with the thunder clouds above her. The city was lightly lit and the sky revealed the people going to and fro in the horrible weather.  
  
Sakura stepped into the weather taking a closer look at the city. This had been her home for so long she couldn't remember what a forest looked like or how far it could reach. She didn't remember how enchanting the moon looked embraced with stars.  
  
"Why do you punish me?" Sakura screamed into the night. No one could hear her and she didn't care if they did or not. "You took everything from me. now you wish to take this from me too." Sakura was drenched and the rain made contact with her skin giving her goose bumps and chilling her to the bone. "I don't care take it so that I can leave and be free, so that I finally may run through the forest with the wind in my hair and no worries, the way it should be." Sakura opened her arms to the rain and stepped up to onto the ledge. Sakura was so involved with her speech that she didn't hear the scraping of the passageway as it opened. Nor did she hear it close. To an end she even missed the sound of someone walking across the room and the sound stopped at the door. Yet it seemed that she did not miss the presence after all for she spoke while standing on the ledge.  
  
"Li you should not be here." Syaoran looked at her drenched. He could see through her dress and the curves of her body. She was skinny, but not without a form. Also soaked her hair lay flat against her back. Li also noticed that she wore no jewelry, almost as if the dress was like her life no ornament to say her life was happy and bright or saddened and filled with shadows. He voted for the ladder which he didn't want it to be he wanted to help her and he decided that he would work that much harder to include her in his life. The first aspect was to pull her from the ledge.  
  
"Sakura come now it would be nice for you to be with me when I go home. I would love for you to meet my family." Sakura looked over her shoulder at him she gave him a simple smile it was devoid of happiness or sadness. It was a smile made in simple thank you.  
  
"Syaoran you are so sweet trying to save me when I am already gone. there was one other time that this happened. My mother and my father both are gone, one was murdered by my own brother, and the other was caught in a simple crossfire. Now the presses will write "Sakura Kinomoto the most famous bracteolate lunges from her balcony ledge falling 47 stories to her death." How's that for morning news?" Sakura looked back over the city.  
  
"Sakura are you going to let your brother win." Sakura shook her head.  
  
"No I left the company to Tomoyo in my will." She heard Syaoran say something akin to "oh shit" Sakura only said this before jumping. "This is the only way to stop him from winning." Syaoran ran to the ledge and reached. 


	7. Even an Angel can't save me

Dragonia: okay I have to write fast cause. Syaoran wants to kill me. and Sakura was stuck in mid air. So I am going to continue writing and hopefully survive the night.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Even an Angel can't save me  
  
"Do you really think that life is that bad?" the mist covered everything. Nothing could be seen through the thickness of the clouds.  
  
"No let me go! It is my choice!" the mist swirled and pulled together creating a figure solid as the woman who screamed.  
  
"It may be your choice, but you asked me to protect you from everyone. I am including you in that classification." The woman struggled to fall, struggled to be released from a grip that wasn't corporeal.  
  
"Then where were you when my friends died, my family, and my brother tried to rule my life." the figure shook its head in sadness.  
  
"You know why I wasn't there." The woman screamed so loud that the silence that enveloped her made her lose herself in the eerie surroundings.  
  
Syaoran stood at the balcony looking over the edge trying to see through the thick mist below him.  
  
To look from ground level it appeared as mist suddenly settled in the center of the sky. Yet in the darkness the mist went unnoticed as the cars racing down the street. The street below continued on like nothing had happened nothing had changed the streets below.  
  
"You can't save me!" The woman screamed into the mist before she fainted from exhaustion. The mist formed enclosed around the woman and rose to the upper layers.  
  
"I am not the one that is meant to save you." the mist carried the woman up to the balcony.  
  
"Kinomoto. Mist is she.okay?" Syaoran's voice was ragged and showed how much he cared about her in such a short time. Mist voice in reply was watery set of tones that left a silence that scarred him.  
  
"I don't know. we will see how it goes in the morning." Syaoran nodded and followed the figure when it laid Sakura on the bed. He followed suit and sat down next to her. Syaoran couldn't understand why but he was feeling something he couldn't explain a pain and an ache. "I have to go I can not stay she will be angry if not furious with me. if she awakes." Syaoran turned to the simple form of mist.  
  
"What do you mean if she awakes?" His face spoke of his utter fear. There was a sound and a flutter that was if he wasn't mistaken a sigh.  
  
"She must choose to awaken, and she might not. She feels that she has nothing to live for." Mist shook her head. "Do not say that you will be there. For you are here to help her face her past." Syaoran's face went slack.  
  
"Do you realize that I told her something before she jumped?" Mist sighed again a sound that sent shivers through him  
  
"You did what you had to, said what needed to be said." Syaoran stared at the half formed figure before him.  
  
"No I told her that I wanted her to meet my mother. and I meant it. more then anything I wanted my mother to meet this sweet and somewhat innocent soul. No matter how many times I tell myself she will always seem innocent although I know that she is not." Mist looked at him taking in everything about him down to the look in his eyes, sadness so deep that it fathomed the depth of the sea.  
  
"Very well stay if she doesn't wake by morning I will take care of the corporation for her." Syaoran looked over at Mist to ask her how she would do this but she was already gone.  
  
"Come on Sakura you have a lot to live for. what about your future. what about the children that you should have. what about the people who care about you?" Syaoran looked at Sakura as she fidgeted in her sleep. "Please Sakura don't do this don't give up." He took her hand in his own. Suddenly he felt sleepy and watched as Sakura rose to her feet.  
  
"Come now Syaoran do you really think that I would give up the chance to get a body?" Syaoran looked at Sakura and realized it wasn't Sakura.  
  
"Rai what. what have you done?" Syaoran looked through fuzzy eyes.  
  
"Syaoran, do you really think that I would pass up a body like this? Even if it is a woman it's too good of an offer to pass up." Syaoran stood up still tired from the drugs that were in his system.  
  
"Fine if you want a body take mine." Sakura thought a minute. "Give her something to live. I will give you mine if you bring her from her sleep. I will go willingly without a fight." Sakura smiled, it wasn't her smile and Syaoran could see that Rai was really behind that mask.  
  
"Very well Syaoran. I will do as you requested. is there anything else before you die?" Syaoran nodded.  
  
"If you take my body you also take my responsibility and not just some all of them. including taking care of Sakura." Sakura looked him up and down.  
  
"You aren't kidding are you?" Syaoran shook his head and Rai thought about all that would be placed before him and in Sakura's body but slowly he nodded Sakura's head in agreement.  
  
"Very well I accept the agreement. I always told you that I would have." just as suddenly as it disappeared, mist covered the room, and filled it. Nothing could be seen, not the hand that Syaoran had inches from his face, and not that Mist was now fighting Rai for Sakura's body. The mist cleared a simple path and Syaoran saw Sakura lying on the floor. He heard a voice whispered into his ear almost as if he was hearing things yet he knew that Mist had come to save them yet again.  
  
"Take her to a safe place. far away. take her.home." Syaoran nodded picking her up with ease for she was like a feather to him. Syaoran was gone as fast as she said this he didn't look back for he knew that Mist would not let him see the fight.  
  
"What have you done?" an angry voice hollered through the mist.  
  
"I have done my job. I have protected Sakura from being hurt." There was a growl, and from the mist came anger so vivid that it pressed the mist to the corners.  
  
"She is mine!" Mist appeared in somewhat corporeal form.  
  
"No she belongs to no one. She is more important to the world then you will ever know." Mist pulled all of the water towards him to seal him. He was gone within seconds again Mist had done her job. but at what cost. She had to rip him from Sakura's body it could have caused her permanent damage or worse.  
  
Tomoyo's house  
  
"Hey come on open up." Syaoran banged on the door. It was late and Syaoran didn't know where Sakura's "home" was.  
  
"Syaoran its 1 o'clock in the.. Come in hurry don't stand in the cold with her come. Come." Syaoran walked in and stepped down the stairs into the living room. He laid her down on the couch. He moved her hair behind her ear. "What happened?" Tomoyo was standing behind him.  
  
"A long story some of which is better left unsaid. I have to take her. "Home" Mist said to take her to a safe place. Home." Tomoyo nodded and walked to the bookshelf pulled out a small album.  
  
"A long time ago her and her family lived in a house. It was small but beautifully built. This house was special because it protected Sakura almost as if it was a living being. I remember one night she was scared. So scared that she hide in her room. She was running from her boyfriend. She hide in the house and when he tired to enter the house. well it used everything it could to stop him. and it did. He was in the hospital for three weeks with a broken arm, leg, and fractured ankle." Syaoran was looking at the picture of a small house surrounded by a brick wall. It was a light color and had some windows, two stories. "Sakura ever since loved that house. but after she moved here. well I don't know I guess she forgot." Syaoran nodded.  
  
"Do you have directions to this house?" Tomoyo thought for a minute. Then nodded picking up a pen and a piece of paper.  
  
"I will take care of everything tell her that. Take as long as you need. That house will take care of her. and you. Don't give up on her, she will fight." Syaoran shook his head.  
  
"Truthfully I don't think that she will. I think that she will give up that's why I want to take her there." Tomoyo stopped and looked up at him. Behind them Sakura stirred.  
  
"You can save her. You have to, cause if you don't. No one will." Syaoran placed his hand on Tomoyo's shoulder.  
  
"Tomoyo you would have saved her." Tomoyo shook her head.  
  
"I might be her friend but I haven't seen Sakura laugh in years. you did it in a few minutes of seeing her. You can save her." Syaoran nodded.  
  
"I hope I can." Syaoran took the paper and noticed Tomoyo's phone number. "Thank you. for everything, and for trusting me." Tomoyo nodded and looked at Sakura.  
  
"You will and thank you for being everything that she needs. oh and Eriol says to go. and forget about reporting." Syaoran nodded. Lifting Sakura from the couch and leaving without a word then turning to ask a question but before he could Tomoyo handed him the key that he was about to ask for. He nodded a head and left.  
  
Where Sakura is  
  
I had chosen this. This darkened world compared to my world. This life was much better, even though darkness enveloped me, and pulled me. My soul was lost somewhere here. I don't care it was so much better then being stuck and unable to chose my direction. Here I could be free not worry, not care, not have a thought, and sleep to my hearts content. This was my life. Cold, darkness, the nothing that enveloped me. I had chosen it and here is where I would stay.  
  
"Sakura this is what you want? Darkness, death, heartache, pain, and most of all loneliness?" a voice came from the darkness.  
  
"I want to be free I don't want to have to worry."  
  
"Sakura Syaoran is taking you home. I mean your real home." No that was impossible he wouldn't, he can't I don't want to go there. "Why Sakura, why don't you want to go home? Is it because there you know that you have to face what happened to your friends? The massacre that was because of the death blossom? A woman who has been dead ever since?"  
  
"No I don't want to go back."  
  
"If you don't, you will die."  
  
"So be it I want to I welcome death. Come take me away." I screamed into the darkness I don't care anymore my life is over.  
  
"Sakura would you leave Syaoran to a life of loneliness only because you fear facing a past, that will kill you and everyone around you unless you face it."  
  
"Syaoran. he."  
  
"Syaoran doesn't want you to die he wants to save you."  
  
Home  
  
Syaoran looked out the car window there before him was a house. The brick wall that surrounded it was falling apart. The house needed a new paint job and much of the grass was faded. He sat there staring at the house then looked down at the key in his hand. He suddenly remembered something that Tomoyo had told him that night when he was stuck on the island.  
  
Flashback  
  
"Once you are here you can't turn back. Anyone and I mean ANYONE who enters this life seems to want to run and fast." Syaoran's face turned from serious to critical, he leaned down and whispered to her.  
  
"No matter the problem I will face it head on. I have never ran and I don't intend to start now. Trust me when I say no matter the problem I have seen worse." Tomoyo shook her head and said something under her breath.  
  
"It's your grave." Tomoyo was inside before he could ask her what it was about. He entered the room and saw a secretary desk to the right which he gathered was Tomoyo and double doors to the left. "Through those doors. and good luck." Tomoyo disappeared as if she was never there. Syaoran opened the doors to be answered with.  
  
End of Flashback  
  
In many ways he could think that this is exactly what she meant. Syaoran sighed and opened the door. Taking another look at the house, before circling the car and pulling Sakura out. He walked up to the gate and pushed it open. The sound it emitted was the sound of not being oiled in a long time. He stepped up the stone steps grown over in grass and weeds. It seemed as if no one had tended to the house in years. and indeed no one had bothered. Syaoran reached the door and pulled out the key. What Tomoyo had said about the house Syaoran very much believed because as soon as he reached for the door knob the door opened of its own accord.  
  
Syaoran smiled and walked in the door slowly closing behind him. The house which appeared to be small was actually much bigger then it appeared. Walking down the hall and to his right was the living room ahead of him was the stairs and another door. Syaoran decided to lay her on the couch and then go searching the house.  
  
After a little searching he knew that there were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen followed by of course the living room. Sakura's bedroom was easy to find for it was pink and held all of a girls desires. The second room was that of her parents. The last room he guessed had been her brothers for it was completely empty.  
  
Lifting Sakura into his arms he climbed the stairs and entered her room. It was a simple room with little decoration. The things that had been added over the years proved beyond a doubt what spirit Sakura really had. Syaoran looked down at the angel before him. It wasn't like him to be pawning over someone. It was just that she was this mystery and he had to solve it, but it was more then that, she was perfect. no she was everything that meant anything to him.  
  
Out of the blue he heard this ringing.  
  
"Hello?" Syaoran answered his phone he had forgotten that he had it.  
  
"Xiao Lang hello. how are you?" Syaoran's face faltered.  
  
"I am fine mother. is there something that you wanted to talk about?" he heard his mother's voice quiver.  
  
"Yes my son your sister is pregnant and your other sister is getting married. she wanted you to be there to give her away." Syaoran sighed and looked at Sakura a smile gracing his lips.  
  
"Mother I have a problem you see. I am taking care of a friend and I don't know when she will." he was interrupted by his mother.  
  
"It isn't."  
  
"No mother this is Kinomoto." He said the word with softness to his voice.  
  
"I see. my son. your sisters. want you home. so do I." Syaoran listened to his mother. It wasn't that he didn't want to return home for he did. Yet he would not return unless they dropped the whole finding a wife.  
  
"Mother I will only return if you release me from the potential wife's that you want me to have." he could hear his mother sigh on the other end. They both knew that this was the only way that he was ever coming home. It seemed to strike him weird that he had never asked it before. But now unlike before he had a real reason to want to return home.  
  
"Very well my son. is there anything I can do to help your friend recover?" he heard his mother's voice soothing for the first time that he had ever heard it.  
  
"If you know how to pull a person from the darkness, of their own memories?" He sighed looking longingly at Sakura. It seemed that every time he turned around she was in danger.  
  
"Well Syaoran I don't know if I can be help but maybe she needs an angel." Syaoran thought for a minute and was about to reply when he heard Sakura speak loudly and clearly almost as if she was awake.  
  
"Even an angel can't save me."  
  
Sakura's Dream  
  
"Sakura I might be darkness but I am not by far stupid. So tell me why you can't go back." The voice was different it was persuasion not an order.  
  
"Because if I do I will be pulled into a fight that I don't want to fight. I am fighting with people that I can't run from anymore. I am tired, and I just want to lie down and die."  
  
"Well destiny wants something from you and if you don't give it then everything that you are meant to do will fall to pieces. Besides whom will help Mist save the people of the city?" Sakura pulled herself up and slightly from the darkness.  
  
"I don't care understand this if nothing else. I want to be lost, I want to fall, and I want to die. Besides, Mist will always save the people of the city no matter where I am." The darkness ripped then spoke.  
  
"He will try to save you."  
  
"Even an angel can't save me now." Sakura slowly slipped deeper into her pit of darkness.  
  
Dragonia: opps did I do that. grr well its better then the last ending. Isn't it? 


	8. Light in Memories

Dragonia: hey I'm back sorry about being gone for so long I mean it's kinda hard to update cause I was working on my special story one that I hope to get published. Well I'm going to leave that chatter out cause you don't want to hear it and I want to write more of the story now. Here we go.  
  
Last Chapter  
  
"I don't care understand this if nothing else. I want to be lost, I want to fall, and I want to die. Besides, Mist will always save the people of the city no matter where I am." The darkness ripped then spoke.  
  
"He will try to save you."  
  
"Even an angel can't save me now." Sakura slowly slipped deeper into her pit of darkness.  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Light in Memories  
  
"Mother I have to go I think that I need to see if I can get a hold of Mist." Syaoran was afraid now not because Sakura had spoke, but because she knew that he was trying to help her and she didn't care.  
  
"Very well I will call you a week from today." Syaoran closed the phone and quickly dialed another number. There were a few rings and a tired voice spoke from the other end.  
  
"Hello?" the person sounded very tired and annoyed that someone would call eleven at night.  
  
"Eriol I need to know do you know how to get a hold of Mist?" There was some shuffling on the other side of the line and it took Eriol a minute before he actually answered.  
  
"I know of only one way, go outside call her on the wind and return to the house by the time you come in she will be waiting for you. If she can she will help you. I really wasn't expecting you to call till tomorrow." Syaoran sighed, covering Sakura and heading for the stairs.  
  
"Well Sakura is in much worse state than I first thou." Syaoran was quickly cut off when he heard a car pull up outside. "Gotta go talk to you later." Syaoran walked to the window to see a black mustang pull up behind his car. Out of the drivers side door stepped a tall man. He was wearing a business suit, his hair in the darkness seemed black, and although Syaoran had never met him he knew that this was Sakura's brother.  
  
Syaoran wondered if the house saw Touya as a threat. Syaoran took the stairs two at a time hiding in the living room waiting for the door to open. Yet one minute became two and two three and three four. Syaoran went to the window and the front yard was empty but the car was still there, so Syaoran ran back up the stairs to Sakura's room. She was still there sleeping peacefully.  
  
Syaoran turned to find himself looking at an enraged brother who stood at the threshold of Sakura's room. Syaoran had not expected this for he could do nothing, he wanted to fight him but he was tired from taking care of Sakura all day he could not stand to fight a full grown man.  
  
"I suggest that you leave for I am not in the mood to fight but I will if I have to." Syaoran watched as the man looked on at Sakura in a way only a brother could.  
  
"You are the wretched boy that turned her against me." It was a simple statement devoid of all emotion.  
  
"No you did that all by yourself." Syaoran moved so that he was between Touya and the bed that Sakura lye in.  
  
"Move out of my way boy." Syaoran stood his ground not replying.  
  
"Touya." a voice echoed through the house. "The house might not see you as a threat. But I can guarantee you that if you do not leave now you will not leave alive." Touya shuttered the voice if possible seemed incomprehensibly loud and malevolent in its coldness.  
  
"For once I do not care my sister is here and I want to see her." The house shook, Mist wasn't leaving and it seemed as if Touya wasn't going to be leaving alive.  
  
"The only reason that I have not killed you yet is because you are Sakura's family but if you show that you are the monster that I have always known you to be then I will not hesitate to kill you." Touya's face did not change but his eyes roamed around the room and finally he seemed to be convinced and left the house quickly.  
  
Syaoran turned to face Sakura, she was sleeping somewhat peacefully. Syaoran laid his hand against her forehead and was surprised to feel that she was cold. He pulled his hand away.  
  
"Sakura. Sakura. you can't be I mean. Come on. Wake up." Syaoran collapsed against the bed. "Sakura please don't leave."  
  
"Come on now Li you can still save her if you wish. I know of one way. but there is a great price." Syaoran looked around and his eyes landed on the mirror. There stood Mist in much the same garb that she was wearing in the cabin.  
  
"What do you mean price?" Mist smiled a fake smile but it was all the same a smile.  
  
"You can enter her dreams and find her." Syaoran was about to reply but Mist held him at bay. "Before you go you should know if you can not get her to awaken then both of you will die and your souls will never see the light of heaven. For where your soul mate goes you must follow. I can guide you only so far," Mist waited for him to reply but she didn't have to wait long for he knew long before that he would die for her.  
  
"Do it." Was all he said.  
  
Mist covered the room, shutting the door and locking it. Covering every comer and crevice creating a place allowed the outside world to vanish. Li looked around for some help but found none, he closed his eyes and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
Dream World  
  
"Syaoran come on get up." Syaoran opened his eyes to look at a woman with a blue and a green eye and short blonde hair.  
  
"Who are you?" the woman before him laughed.  
  
"I am Mist silly. It's just here I can be whom ever I wish." Syaoran nodded. "Now down to business. I can only take you so far from there you will have to find your own way.  
  
"I understand." Syaoran followed Mist through the darkness that surrounded them. soon the darkness came alive leaving them in a hallway of what seemed to be a college dormitory. Mist turned around and looked at Syaoran her face seemed sadder and somehow more realistic than before.  
  
"Syaoran it appears to save Sakura you must know her past you must walk it with her." Mist looked over her shoulder. "Here you will learn her nightmares. All of them and why she must runs. I leave you to this one this is where it ended. You need to find the beginning to see all of her memories once at the beginning you will learn all you need to know. one warning though you will not see me in any of her memories." Mist disappeared without a thought.  
  
Syaoran looked around and the first thing that he noticed was like everything else in Sakura's life her dreams were unornamented. As if she was tired of decorating when no one would be there to see it, so why do it. Syaoran walked down the hall and for some reason the doors that appeared to be there at first dissipated when he reached them.  
  
He continued and came to a door that didn't dissipate he opened it. He looked through and saw the forest but as he turned around he noticed that the door and the building that he had just come from was gone. He realized that in Sakura's dream she could change the scenery and more then likely anything else that she didn't like.  
  
Syaoran decided that the only way was to go forward. Down the path and into the forest, the forest at first had appeared to be bright and intriguing but as Syaoran walked further within the dark forest he realized that it was only in perception. Once Syaoran entered the forest the time of day suddenly became night.  
  
"So you have come seeking the woman trapped within the darkness have you not?" a voice what was much stronger then his own echoed throughout his surroundings. Syaoran knew immediately that this was not human. Before him appeared a lion it was male but mane less, the wings that sprung from its back were twice its own size.  
  
"Yes I have come to pull her from the darkness and give her a reason to live." Syaoran did not move for he had no weapon to defend himself or anything that might help him defeat this creature.  
  
"Do not worry I do not wish to fight you I simply wish to warn you. If you are not careful there are other guardians that are here that will not let you pass so easy as I." the lion slowly walked forward and sat on his hind hunches. "There are three of us in total. One you have met she is Mist. Do not ask questions about her for I have none to answer. The second is me Kero. To pass me you need to solve my riddle. The last is that of an angel named Yue. He will be the hardest to defeat for you need to fight him with your will." Syaoran sat down hoping that this would not take too long.  
  
"My riddle is this: if life is long and death is a welcome, time doesn't matter and love is but a dream. If this is true where do darkness and light fit in?" Syaoran looked at this creature called Kero for a few minutes. The riddle made no sense, life isn't long, and death is rarely ever a welcome, time always matters and love is..  
  
"They keep the balance making those things ever present in our lives." Syaoran looked around and noticed that in this dream world the birds sound so much musical then in real life. Suddenly the creature before him makes a sound and it took a second for Syaoran to realize that it was laughing.  
  
"You think to deeply man oh man okay go ahead." Kero started to walk away slowly disappearing while murmuring. "Riddles, riddles, more riddles nothing I can't deal with but this boy brings trouble the like of which I have never." if he continued his rambling it was not heard at least not in a way Syaoran could understand. The path before him seemed to clear a little more and for the first time here he heard a voice he knew by heart.  
  
"He said that you would come and save me. and I didn't believe him but here you are. well if you want to come and see me than continue on." The voice died on the wind unlike the last voice it did not echo. Syaoran wished it did but he would continue on for he didn't want to let go.  
  
He soon left the forest and was faced with a city. Tokyo city the tower lye before him and there he stood on the roof of one of the buildings staring at Tokyo tower. He wasn't sure how it happened but one second he was staring at the tower before him and the next he was staring at the city below him.  
  
He was standing on the tower looking down.  
  
"Li Syaoran. The soon to be leader of his clan. you know nothing of your history and I know so much more. Sakura is the key to your past and if you wish it the key to your future. At one point in time there were another such couple of companions in the time that I was still alive. One was a priestess and the other was a guardian hired specifically to get the priestess to the castle that was below and beyond a death mountain. Throughout the days of travel they fell in love. Both of them separate had many abilities. I find it strange that the same powers that the priestess had Sakura now has hidden away, and that you are her guardian through the darkness." Syaoran faced a man or rather an angel that had long silver hair, he gathered that this was Yue.  
  
"What happened to them?" Yue pulled two swords from the wind.  
  
"They became lovers, but unlike other stories this has a tragic end. So tell me do you wish for the same ending because if you are not careful and take the wrong step it might be just as tragic or even worse." Syaoran caught the sword that was tossed to him.  
  
"No I want to save her and I want to be able to make her happy no matter the cost." Yue nodded.  
  
"You have said that many times but actions prove louder then words. Come prove to me that you are worth my mistress's love." the blinding flashed that follow was only little of the actual battle.  
  
Syaoran wasn't sure how much time had actually passed between the time that they had started and the time that Syaoran had both swords in his hands. It was amazing to him how fast that he could move in this state. Although Yue could fly it seemed that Sakura had graced Syaoran with some abilities even here in her dreamscape. Somewhere deep down she wanted to be saved even if it was just a little part of her that wanted to be saved.  
  
"Well it seems that you have won. But this does not mean that the story is secured. It is still very possible that you very well might bring Sakura's death with you." Syaoran through the swords away and turned to the city below.  
  
"As I have said I will make sure that if I can not pull her out that I will join her in that darkness." Yue nodded and folded over his wings, his white wings, brightening then suddenly gone.  
  
"So now where do I go?" the city below him disappeared, no it was swallowed up by darkness. It was here the time had come to face the darkness of Sakura's memories. Without a thought to his life he jumped from the tower plunging into the darkness that was Sakura's memories.  
  
Hospital  
  
Syaoran was flouting above the room. There was a young girl sitting by the bed holding tightly of a cold dead hand. Her hair swayed around her ears and tears fell to the ground.  
  
"Father." Syaoran watched as the scene changed again, he was being overwhelmed by the sadness.  
  
Suddenly he was in a living room watching Sakura argue with her brother she wasn't much older then she was in the last picture. Syaoran watched as Sakura threw her brother out of the house. Syaoran saw the tears that weld up in her eyes. He also saw through the window her brother shake his head and walk away. Somehow it seemed to Syaoran that her brother wasn't as bad in this picture as she explained him. The scene shifted again, Sakura was walking with her mother the conversation that they were having he could not hear but he watched. Sakura was a step behind her mother when they crossed the street. A scream shattered the peace that had been on Sakura's face. Syaoran watched as yet another piece of her life was destroyed.  
  
Syaoran didn't want to see anymore but he knew that this wasn't the worst. Again the view before him changed but this time he was in the room looking at Sakura she was staring out the window. Her face was blank of any emotion.  
  
"There is something much worse then what you have seen. When I went to college you remember my first boyfriend the one that ended up in the hospital." Syaoran nodded. "My second ended up pretty much the same way but he went to prison."  
  
"What happened, where did you go next?" Sakura looked at him and nodded to the window.  
  
"I received a job at the market it was in my home town. I soon met Jake Newell, Jet Caraway, and Diana Newell, they were from America so they weren't popular but they were fun to hang with. My second boyfriend got out of prison and he wanted me back but I was starting to fall for someone else. There was no room in my life for him when he found that out he decided to fix it. I don't know how I got there but there I was tied to a bed. When I looked around I saw my friends all chained and beaten."  
  
Warehouse  
  
"You know Sakura had you taken me back I might not have decided to kill them but now." David was his name, after he went to prison there were many other murders that had been brought up that he had been suspected of but there was no proof of conviction so he got five years convicted.  
  
"Please let them go they've done nothing wrong." Sakura whimpered.  
  
"Now Sakura I thought that I had taught you to be strong." The red mark on her face appeared quickly after David walked over to Jet. "So Sakura which one is it, which one do you love?" Sakura cried tears along with Diana, Jet looked like he was ready to do something foolish and Jake was trying to get to his sister.  
  
"Well I think I will save the lady here from having to watch her. well little girl what are these two to you?"  
  
"Don't tell him Diana remember we are going to be." David backhanded Sakura leaving another welt on her cheek.  
  
"Come now the faster you tell me the faster you may leave." Diana looked to her brother and then to her love Jet. Finally she looked at Sakura and smiled. The smile was that to assure her that they were more then just best friends.  
  
"I will tell you nothing for Sakura is my best friend and I would rather die." David smiled, he pulled Diana out of her chains and laid her on the floor.  
  
"Very well then let's see which of your so called gentlemen will speak up first." He placed a handkerchief around her mouth so that she wouldn't make a sound. Ripping her cloths and pulling away all remnants until she was left with her underwear and bra. Diana kept shaking her head, but Jet was the first to crack.  
  
"No leave her alone." He pulled at the chains and came as close as he could to her. Syaoran couldn't bare it any longer he tried to move, but since he wasn't part of the memory there was nothing he could do.  
  
"What are you going to do Sakura are you going to let them suffer like this?" Sakura swallowed her pride and her eyes locked with Jake's.  
  
"I love none of them take them away I do not want to see their faces." David laughed.  
  
"I doubt that, it's this one the one that is confused which to help, his sister that is going to be raped, or his love that is also going to be raped. Which to save first, one or the other he can only save one. Yet he knows that his sister's love will save her so he goes for his girl." Jake pulled the knife from David's hands.  
  
"Get away." David stepped back, and laughed, while Jet pulled Diana close to him.  
  
"Sakura would you like to see what I learned at prison. How do you kill without actually leaving a mark?" Syaoran watched as Sakura looked around and noticed the arrows that were pointed at her friends. "Sakura if you tell me which one you love I will only kill him, the other two will go free." Sakura shook her head. "Very well then I guess we will kill lover boy first." David stepped hard on one of the rocks and three arrows shot from somewhere in the collection above. One pierced his leg, the second his arm, the last pierced his lung.  
  
"NO!" Diana pulled Jet towards her, she rocked him back and forth. Jake looked around and took the same notice that Sakura had. Syaoran couldn't move couldn't help couldn't walk away.  
  
"I think that you love the one that is holding the knife." David pulled up an axe and threw it at Jake. He dropped the knife as the axe came in contact with his chest. Sakura cried harder as her life shattered. Outside could be heard sirens, and David pulled the axe from Jake's cold dead body. David turned to Jet and Diana, he smiled as he glanced at Sakura. Syaoran saw the pure horror that played on Sakura's face.  
  
"Companies arriving but by the time they get here there will be nothing but pieces." Syaoran could tell that Sakura tried to look away tried not to see the horror as her friends were chopped to pieces. When David came to her covered in blood and sweating the cops bashed through the door, killing him with a round of bullets.  
  
The room faded away to be replaced by darkness. Syaoran looked up from where he stood. There hanging and tangled in the darkness was Sakura. He could see the pain on her face, she was a virgin in body but in mind she was tortured by nightmares every second.  
  
"Sakura when did you meet Mist?" Sakura looked at him and smiled it was fake and he received no comfort from it.  
  
"I knew Mist for a long time she was there almost all the time. She didn't start helping people until after the explosion at the wharf." Syaoran didn't understand why Mist wasn't there to save her.  
  
"I wasn't there cause I didn't exist as of yet." Sakura shook her head."  
  
"Yes you did you came to me all the time." Mist shook her head.  
  
"Sakura, do you ever wonder why you can't remember how you got to a certain place, or how you came to wake up in a totally another place then you were at?" Sakura thought about it then shook her head.  
  
"Syaoran I am sorry but most of what will happen here you won't remember when you wake up. I can not have a liability outside, and if you don't know then there is no problem." Mist turned to Sakura. "I think its time that you go back, and that you and I should have a talk." Sakura shook her head.  
  
"No I like it here I have nothing to worry about." Mist sighed.  
  
"Sakura if you don't go back both you and Syaoran will die. I know that you might want to but what about him are you willing to allow him to die too?" Sakura looked at Syaoran.  
  
"Why did you come?" "I knew the risks and if you didn't come back there would be no point in my living." Syaoran stepped into the darkness and was suddenly facing Sakura.  
  
"You have so much to live for. there are people out there that need your help." Syaoran nodded.  
  
"There are people out there that need you. I am one of those people for without you I would not be able to help those people." Sakura shook her head and looked away.  
  
"You don't need me." Syaoran smiled.  
  
"I wont remember this and you might not either but you need a reason to live so I will give you one." Syaoran put his finger into the darkness and swirled it. "You want to see the future I will show you it." Before them appeared a little girl about eight she was sitting on a swing laughing. "There is your reason for without you she will never see the light of day. She will die when she is two." Sakura looked at him and nodded.  
  
"I will go although I know that I will not remember why." Syaoran smiled and pulled her out of the darkness. Sakura smiled into the morning sun.  
  
"Sakura there is something I want to tell you even if you won't remember." he looked at her and she smiled for him to continue.  
  
"Yes, what is it." Sakura twirled around and fell because she was dizzy. He joined her on the ground. "You are the light in my memories." Sakura smiled and.  
  
House  
  
" BRRRRRRING BRING BRI.." The phone cord phone was silenced as it was thrown across the room. The house was silent once again, there was nothing to disturb the two sleeping in the room above, at least not until morning.  
  
Dragonia: so what do you think? I think I will leave it at that I hope you guys like it. 


	9. Home Sweet Home

Dragonia: I know that there is like no one reading this story but I hope that someone will read it because even though no one is reading it I will continue to write it because there might be others that don't review that like this story so on with the story.  
  
Last chapter  
  
"Sakura there is something I want to tell you even if you won't remember." he looked at her and she smiled for him to continue.  
  
"Yes, what is it." Sakura twirled around and fell because she was dizzy. He joined her on the ground. "You are the light in my memories." Sakura smiled and.  
  
House  
  
"BRRRRRRING BRING BRI.." The phone cord phone was silenced as it was thrown across the room. The house was silent once again, there was nothing to disturb the two sleeping in the room above, at least not until morning.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Home Sweet Home  
  
Her eyes slowly fluttered open, the sight before her wasn't clear. She couldn't see her eyes were blurry. Blinking the sight before her became clear. She was lying on a bed, her bed from when she was a child. The thoughts and memories from the past days were gone missing from her memories. She couldn't remember how she came to be in this room at her old house. Looking around she saw that someone was sitting by her bed. Upon closer inspection that person was Syaoran. Gently she shook him awake into the world of the living.  
  
"Syaoran, can you tell me what we are doing here in my old home?" Sakura looked at Syaoran and watched as he stretched the kinks out of his back as he had been sitting in that position all night.  
  
"You fell into darkness and I was told to bring you here so that you could wake up." Syaoran did not wish do go into detail somehow he knew and yet didn't know why they were here. For some reason he didn't want to remember.  
  
"Oh well can we get something to eat I'm starved." Syaoran nodded and helped her up. together they traversed the stairs and entered the kitchen. The stove was already on with something cooking on it. Syaoran looked to Sakura for help but she ignored him walking over to the counter and pulling two plates and glasses from the cupboard. Syaoran walked over to the stove and saw that there was more then one pan cooking. There was bacon and eggs, hash brown and home fries. He found this weird for it was American food.  
  
"Sakura this is odd." Sakura walked over and giggled at the site before her. Syaoran looked at her and was surprised to see her happy. He regained his composure before she looked at him.  
  
"One year I made American food. it was delicious, so I make it off and on.. The house must like it too." Sakura giggled and Syaoran smiled, Sakura looked at him and her face fell.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Syaoran laughed and turned off the burners removing the pans.  
  
"If I wasn't sure that you were human I would think you an angel for your laugh is music to my ears." Syaoran was surprised when he turned around to find Sakura inches from his face.  
  
"Is the ever elusive Sergeant Li falling in." Sakura was interrupted by the ringing phone. Sakura sighed and walked over to it raising the phone to her ear she stole a glace as Syaoran finished dishing out the food.  
  
"Hello Sakura speaking." Sakura smiled as she looked away from Syaoran, her voice was happy and seemed to ripple through the house.  
  
"Hello my dear sister." Sakura's face faltered somehow her brother sounded smug. Sakura didn't like that at all not on her brother. "I have just called to tell you that I would like to congratulate you." Sakura looked to Syaoran and he smiled but his smile quickly disappeared. He crossed the room and wondered what was wrong.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sakura was confused there was nothing to her knowledge at least since she was at the company that would be in the area of congratulations.  
  
"You haven't seen the news have you. well I'm not at all surprised I mean that boy is nothing more then a liar, but even though we have had our differences I am glad you are alright. that he didn't hurt you." Sakura looked oddly.  
  
"What do you mean news?" Syaoran was looking at her and then walked into the living room. Sakura heard the TV being turned on and the channels being turned.  
  
"Well Sakura I must go because I have things I must attend to. but I would like to say that I am sorry. for everything. When you figure it out I would like to come. just to see you happy. Goodbye." Sakura was about to ask him what he meant but the dial tone told her that he had hung up. Sakura looked at the phone in her hand like it was poison.  
  
"Sakura. come in here you should see this." Sakura shook her head and placed the phone back and walked to the living room. When she entered she heard something that made her heart race and her mouth drop.  
  
"Just this morning there was a call to a local news station in Tokyo told us that Kinomoto Sakura the owner of Ragged Blossom Corporation and Li Syaoran the soon-to-be leader of the Li clan has proposed and Kinomoto has accepted. As to any other cooperation between their corporations it is not yet known. So far Li has been a cop going from place to place. It appears that's how they first met. Kinomoto has been out of the social ring for a few days rumors are spreading that they are planning the wedding or that the wedding is already taking place." Syaoran turned off the TV, he thought for a moment.  
  
"Sakura I don't think that we can escape this one." He looked over at her to see tears fall to the floor.  
  
"So this is what he meant. he thinks that I am." Syaoran pulled Sakura into a warm embrace what was he to say.  
  
"Sakura I swear I didn't do this, this wasn't my plan." Sakura shook her head.  
  
"No this is Tomoyo and Eriol doing." Syaoran nodded somehow he knew it was coming so it was less of a surprise but it was enough to throw him for a loop.  
  
"Sakura," he pulled her away and looked into her eyes. "if you don't want to do this I will call." Sakura shook her head and looked into his eyes.  
  
"If you did you would leave and I need you." she looked at him square in the eyes so that he would not miss anything she said. "I don't know why but I need you and if you go I won't make it. I need you I need you to feel safe." Syaoran looked at in a strange way and she continued. "When you hold me I feel safe and I feel needed, but I need you. please don't leave I don't care if this is." Syaoran stopped her.  
  
"Sakura. I want to truth do you want to marry me for love or to feel safe?" Sakura looked at him and looked at her feet. "Sakura either way I won't call off it unless you want me to." Sakura looked at him, pulling herself from his arms she walked to the window.  
  
"Syaoran you make me happy. You give me light, you are the only one that can do that." Syaoran nodded although she faced the other way. "If. if there is anyone in the world who deserves my love I will find no one but you. for somehow I know you saved me and without you I would not be alive." Syaoran placed his hand on her face and made her look at him. Somehow he had crossed the room without making a sound. "Yes without a doubt I don't want to be without you." Syaoran looked into her eyes and watched as her face lit up.  
  
"Sakura I don't know what I can give you but I will give you all I have." Syaoran leaned closer and almost touched lips. When there came a sound not far from where they stood.  
  
"BRRRRRRING BRING BRIN..." The sound was cut off when the phone was answered.  
  
"Yes.."  
  
"Hello my son, now tell, me how come that I was never told of this. this wedding or rather this. woman.."  
  
"Well mother she is the one that I have been helping and to help her this needs and must happen.. In all actuality I didn't know that..." Sakura stopped him by shaking her head.  
  
"Syaoran I don't think that we should tell anyone that it wasn't our idea." Syaoran looked at her oddly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sakura walked over to him and placed her hand on his face.  
  
"I don't want to live a lie I won't so let's not make it a lie. I have been stubborn and hard headed but never stupid. If we do this we have to do it all the way, it has to be real believable even for your family." Syaoran nodded then turned back to his mother.  
  
"Mother in truth I didn't know that it would be on air and believe me as of yet nothing is planned it's just that Sakura needed a few days to adjust a few days away from everyone." He heard his mother sigh.  
  
"very well for now I will not press so as it seems that you are indeed in love for I have never heard you call anyone else by their first name, but understand this that without my permission you can't get married. I would like to meet her. I will set up a flight a week from today. Goodbye my son." Yelan hung up without another word.  
  
"Well Sakura it looks like we are going to Hong Kong in a week." Sakura nodded and walked to the kitchen.  
  
"I think that I just want to go home." Her voice was taxed but at the same time filled with a life that hadn't been there before.  
  
"I will back what little there is to back we can leave whenever you like." Syaoran knew that Sakura heard him even through she was in the kitchen.  
  
Sakura sat down at the table thinking about everything that she would need to do. Right now she could use a friend there was only one other person in the world that would and could help her now. Yet the risk of pulling her out of hiding might be much worse, but then again if she found out that she didn't write. Sakura sighed and picked up a pen and paper.  
  
Dear Friend,  
  
I need some help I know that I should have contacted you  
earlier but there was no time. Please come you know where I will  
explain all when you get here. Love ya thanks.  
Sincerely  
Sakura  
  
Sakura did not need to write a lot she couldn't she needed time to think. Sakura placed the letter in the envelope and walking to the door. Syaoran could be heard packing whatever he had brought.  
  
Meanwhile Tomoyo  
  
"Tomoyo tell me how did you think of that?" Tomoyo smiled evilly she had planned this since the day that she had met Syaoran and when he showed up at her door with Sakura she knew that it was meant to be.  
  
"Well, Eriol I knew that I could get away with it because of something Sakura said, or rather something that she didn't say. You see when we went to pick them up Sakura was in shock about what Syaoran had said. When I thought about it there was only one conclusion that I could come to. Since I knew that Syaoran either way wanted this it couldn't hurt." Eriol smiled and looked out their bay window, the sun was raising and it was Monday morning he would have to get soon, not to mention get dressed too.  
  
"Well my little darlin I have to go and get ready. You should too because if Kinomoto sees that she will want your head on a platter." Tomoyo smiled.  
  
"How's she going to know?" Tomoyo rolled over her naked skin rubbing against Eriol making him wish that he didn't have to go to work.  
  
"Do you really think that she won't know you and I are the only one's that really know about them and she knows that I would never do it for I fear her wrath too much." Tomoyo's smile faulted for a second but then returned.  
  
"Yes but according to Sakura herself she will not care. I believe that I will blame it on Syaoran." Eriol smiled and nodded.  
  
"One problem they have been together all weekend. What kind of mood do you think she will be in?" Eriol left her with that thought and got out of bed to get dressed.  
  
Dragonia: Well that's all I'm going to write for now. Sorry that I haven't updated and that this one is boring but.. I just have lost it my inspiration. If there is anyone out there who is even remotely interested in this story leave a message even if it says "this sucks" then at least I know someone read it. 


	10. Bugs, Romance, Myths, Facts, and Mists

Dragonia: I know that right now no one is reading this but I am going to continue writing it and hope that someone gets interested in it.  
  
Last Chapter  
  
"Do you really think that she won't know you and I are the only one's that really know about them and she knows that I would never do it for I fear her wrath too much?" Tomoyo's smile faulted for a second but then returned.  
  
"Yes but according to Sakura herself she will not care... I believe that I will blame it on Syaoran." Eriol smiled and nodded.  
  
"One problem they have been together all weekend. What kind of mood do you think she will be in?" Eriol left her with that thought and got out of bed to get dressed.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Bugs, Romance, Myth's, Fact's, and Mists  
  
The grass waved in the wind greeting the cars that passed them, the wind was strong and getting stronger. Many of the drivers had stopped to wait out the coming storm. It was noon and for some reason it seemed to be taking them longer to get home then it had to get to the Kinomoto residence. Yet then again Sakura was sleeping for the whole time. Suddenly the car rumbled and died, sitting in the middle of the road no building in sight from horizon to horizon.  
  
"There is a hurricane warning for route 34. If you are on the road please stop and get to a safe place." Sakura sighed and looked over at Syaoran who was banging his head against the steering wheel.  
  
"The guy swore to me that there would be no more bugs..." Syaoran sighed and pulled the keys out looking at her. "You wait here I will push the car over would you mind turning the wheel?"  
  
"As long as I don't have to help push." Syaoran smiled and nodded. Sakura moved over to the driver's side and Syaoran went to the bumper and pushed until the car was on the side of the road. Syaoran and Sakura climbed in the back seat and turned on the radio to listen to some music.  
  
"So Syaoran... you said that we were going to meet your family?" Syaoran nodded and relaxed into a more comfortable position.  
  
"My family is a very... my mother is strict but fair, my sisters are very hyper, and the clan leaders are fair but harsh. Life was not easy, but then again it was never boring." Syaoran smiled at Sakura.  
  
"Sometimes it's hard for me to remember my father. I was so young when he died I try not to think about the last time that I saw him. I like to remember him as a great father for that's what he was. Sometimes though I wish he was here," Sakura sighed and looked out the window as the wind picked up in sadness of her voice. "My father was a man of great achievement and that's the way I like to remember it. He always called me his angel and cherry blossom... I really miss that." Sakura looked at Syaoran and he moved his arm and motioned her to come and lye on his shoulder.  
  
"Well if it is alright with you, you can be my cherry blossom now." Sakura looked up at him and nodded snuggling closer for warmth.  
  
"Still Kinomoto and Li are missing from the social view, and on another note the police are having a big bug problem it seems that army ants have taken over central park and the police have been forced to remove all residence from the surrounding area." Sakura smiled and giggled.  
  
"Well it seems that Eriol has his hands full of little bugs." Syaoran smiled.  
  
"Well I wouldn't make to much fun of him who is stuck in the middle of route 34?" Syaoran looked at her and the laughed for a while.  
  
"Sakura tell me what are we going to do now?" Sakura looked at him and looked out the window.  
  
"I want to find the woman that... the woman that started the war and created more theft and murders then there ever has been..." Sakura looked at him in the eyes. "I want your help, so does Mist." Syaoran looked confused at the last part.  
  
"What... how do you know that? I thought that Mist didn't like me for..." Sakura silenced him.  
  
"Syaoran, Mist and I are connected in a way you can't even begin to imagine." Syaoran simply nodded. Watching as Sakura looked out the window searching her memories.  
  
"Sakura?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"What would you do if I said that I wanted to kiss you?" Sakura turned back to him a little startled.  
  
"Why?" Syaoran smiled Mist was right she was naïve.  
  
"Sakura, haven't you looked in a mirror... you are the most beautiful and strongest woman I have ever met..." he leaned closer and whispered. "Besides we are to be married soon." Sakura gasped as his lips met hers Syaoran used that opening to explore her mouth. After a moment Sakura gave in wrapping her arms around his neck and Syaoran pulled Sakura closer by wrapping his arms around her waist. Sakura pulled away, and looked out the window.  
  
"Syaoran... I want to but... I'm confused." Syaoran moved to be a little more comfortable and Sakura ended up on his lap.  
  
"Confused about what?"  
  
"About us, life, the companies, Mist, just all of it." Syaoran pulled her closer allowing her head to rest on his shoulder.  
  
"First of all Mist was the one that brought us together and kept it that way for you, second the companies can go and die for all I care but we will figure that out later, life is to live to be happy, and us well we are very simple to figure out." Sakura looked over at him.  
  
"And that is?" Syaoran kissed her softly and pulled away to answer.  
  
"That I will always love you and protect you." Sakura was slightly shocked and a tear rolled down her cheek. Syaoran brushed it away, and kissed her cheek.  
  
"You mean it don't you?" Syaoran nodded as he continued to kiss her cheek then her neck. "Umm... Syaoran... I think that we should get out of here... now." Syaoran stopped and looked around. The sky had darkened immensely and the rain was pouring hard on the car.  
  
"Sakura there is no where to go." Sakura nodded and huddled closer to Syaoran. "Sakura call Mist... ask her if she can help us." Sakura nodded closing her eyes.  
  
'Mist... can you hear me?' 'Yes Sakura what's wrong?' 'Well there is a hurricane and we are kind of stuck can you help us?' 'I can try.'  
  
Sakura suddenly felt lightheaded and clutched onto Syaoran.  
  
"Sakura are you alright?" Sakura looked at his worried face and felt perfectly safe and loved. Sakura nodded and the sound of the rain lightened slightly. Sakura doubled over in pain that ripped through her stomach. Her scream pierced Syaoran's ears, but he ignored the pain and pulled Sakura into an embrace as her scream subsided and tears rolled in a steady stream down her cheeks. This pain had happened before but it was never this powerful or this long. Sakura soon fainted and Syaoran heard Mist speaking.  
  
"Syaoran... Its almost time for you to know the truth but you must be careful... for once you know so shell the world and you will be all that stands between Sakura and death."  
  
Syaoran nodded wrapping his arms around Sakura and lying down to get some sleep.  
  
'Do you think that she will make it?' Kero 'She must.' Mist 'You all worry too much Sakura is much stronger then you all think.' Yue 'Silent speaks at last.' Kero 'Kero, be nice you know that Yue is better at this then you are.' Mist 'It would be nice if you went home Mist.' Yue 'Yue, she has to want or need me.' Mist 'Why?' Kero 'Because otherwise she might reject me and she will destroy us both.' Mist 'Do you really think that she would reject you?' Kero 'She won't reject her...you would reject her.' Yue 'You are right Yue I would never take her by force.' Mist  
  
Syaoran once again looked down at the mysterious angel in his arms and his eyes seemed to drink up every detail about her.  
  
"Sakura, my angel, and my cherry blossom... I would do absolutely anything for you." Syaoran fell asleep and joined Sakura in the dream world.  
  
'You know I would normally be against this but...' Kero 'It appears that this boy is truthful and genuine... Mist you have searched his mind is there anything there to worry about?' Yue 'From what I saw there is much more to him but... I do not think that there is anything that we should worry about. He has had no other love.' Mist  
  
Next Morning  
  
The hurricane had passed and it seemed that the bugs that had worked their way into the car had worked themselves out. So heading down the road but an hour away from the city the pair traveled in silence. It wasn't that they had nothing to talk about, they had a lot. Yet they both wanted some time to think on the things that were going to happen.  
  
"Sakura... What I said... well I do want you to meet my mother... even if we weren't in this situation I would still want you to meet my family... even if they are a little weird." Sakura smiled Syaoran was driving again and although his eyes were on the road it was very clear that his mind wasn't.  
  
"Syaoran I want to meet them now." Sakura sighed and looked around; somehow they were now in the city and coming up on the company she owned. The company she owned appeared much bigger to her now. 'The company I own, I feel like I have been away for so long.' Syaoran pulled up to the curb and Sakura opened the door not waiting for the valet. Sakura stepped out of the car, her blue dress caught in the wind. Across the street came some whistles. Sakura glanced to her side, her hard face demeanor returning as she looked upon the men. Suddenly she felt Syaoran's warmth next to her she looked at him and saw that he was giving a glare that silenced all the sounds. Sakura's face lightened and she walked into the building with Syaoran right beside her.  
  
Office  
  
The office was quite except for the steadily sound of clicking coming from the wooden oak desk. Fingers moved in an impatient and nervous movement. The call had come just a minute ago that Mrs. Kinomoto was here with a guest. Tomoyo hoped that that guest was the ever calm Syaoran. Ever since Syaoran had showed up there was another side to Sakura.  
  
"TOMOYO!" Tomoyo winced, Sakura was here and she didn't sound happy at all.  
  
"Yes." Even though Tomoyo feared Sakura she would never show it. Tomoyo acquired that from Sakura.  
  
"Tell me when the conference is, and I also need to know when the new shipment of dresses are in, especially if they are the ones that the guys never delivered from last week." Tomoyo shot to her feet and was gone before Sakura could ask any more. As soon as she was gone, Sakura turned to Syaoran and motioned him into the office.  
  
"Why didn't you ask her about the announcement?" Sakura smiled evilly.  
  
"You know I think it would be best if she of all people we could convince that this," Sakura pointed to his chest and then at herself, "wasn't an act." Syaoran smiled equally evilly.  
  
"I see that being around these surroundings allows you to come back to yourself." Sakura nodded. "But who ever said that this," he made the same movements that she had made. "Was an act." Sakura stood there not understanding until he was inches from her. Her understanding was a little late especially when he kissed her and sat her up on Tomoyo's desk. Just to continue to kiss her in-depth, Sakura no longer cared after all he was supposedly... well truthfully her fiancé. Sakura relented and kissed back surprising Syaoran for only a second.  
  
Phone  
  
"I just don't get it she didn't say anything about the announcement."  
  
"Maybe it's a good thing Tomoyo. Hey hun I gotta go big thing about theft. Love ya."  
  
"Yeah love you too." Tomoyo hung up the phone and turned to head back to her office.  
  
Tomoyo opened the door and was shocked at her findings, there sprawled on the desk was Sakura sucking face with none other then Syaoran. Within the room stood another of the secretaries and she was just as shocked as Tomoyo was.  
  
"Umm... Sakura..." Sakura pulled away and looked at Tomoyo while Syaoran continued to caress her neck with kisses.  
  
"Yes Tomoyo?" Tomoyo paused there was of course nothing she could say about them being on her desk it was after all Sakura's desk.  
  
"I have that information." Sakura nodded and pushed Syaoran away, together they rose to their feet.  
  
"Good lets see it." Without faltering Sakura took the information totally ignoring the other secretary. Sakura looked over it with a few nods then threw it on the floor.  
  
"Tell the asswhole's that they can go shove the offer up their ass and if they have a problem with it say they can go to my lawyers and have it in the system until their children's children's grandchildren. If that doesn't start a fire under their ass tell them that I will report them for monopolizing the dresses." Tomoyo smiled and looked at Syaoran, then Tina the other secretary.  
  
"Tina please go take care of that." The woman nodded and left hurriedly.  
  
"So Sakura you have your spark back its good to see but tell me... what was that?" Sakura looked at Tomoyo for a few minutes her face graced with a smile.  
  
"Well Tomoyo it was your idea that we get married." Sakura walked over to Syaoran and kissed him lightly on the cheek as he pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her fully on the lips bringing out a much deeper kiss. Tomoyo just stood there what else was she to do?  
  
"By the way Tomoyo," Sakura started without even removing her eyes from Syaoran's.  
  
"The end of this week we will be leaving to go to Hong Kong." Tomoyo looked over the couple and watched as Sakura led Syaoran into her office.  
  
"Syaoran please don't do that again." Syaoran smiled and placed his hands on her hips he whispered a single word into her ear.  
  
"Why?" Sakura felt his hot breath on her neck and it sent a shiver down her back.  
  
"Because if you do I won't be able to stop us." Syaoran's breath stopped for a second.  
  
"What's wrong with that... for I won't be able to either." Syaoran's arms snaked around her and turned her around.  
  
"Syaoran... promise me that you will never leave me." Syaoran stared at the beauty in front of him. "Promise me." Syaoran simply nodded before sealing the promise with a kiss.  
  
"You know that I have heard of a myth... that when love surfaced so would Mist." Sakura and Syaoran turned to see a woman standing in the doorway. Her long black hair crested her waist and her ruby eyes were gentle upon Sakura.  
  
"Meiling!" Sakura raced across the room to her friend who knew much more about Sakura then she herself knew. Meiling and Sakura embraced while Syaoran stood patiently awaiting the explanation. "So I gather you got my letter?"  
  
"Yes it was very vague, might I ask that he is the reason." Meiling motioned to Syaoran.  
  
"No not because of him... because of some other things."  
  
"Oh right the fiancé so where is he?" Syaoran looked at the pair they seemed so different. Meiling was wearing black leather pants and a leather zipper top that showed way too much for Syaoran's liking.  
  
"Meiling, that is him." Meiling looked over at Syaoran then laughed.  
  
"No really where is he?" Syaoran sick of the argument walked over to Sakura and pulled her into another long kiss, drawing her away from Meiling.  
  
"Syaoran... Meiling this is Li Syaoran." Meiling paused.  
  
"Thee Syaoran Li." Sakura nodded. Meiling frowned and looked him over up and down finally nodding in acceptance.  
  
"Not what I was expecting but he'll do... he's cute too." Syaoran looks Meiling up and down.  
  
"So Sakura tell me this one is she from around the corner?" Meiling shot him a glare, and Sakura punched him in the arm.  
  
"Be nice..." Syaoran frowned, and Meiling smiled. "Both of you." Sakura turned to Meiling.  
  
"So what did you call me here for?" Sakura sighed and motioned for them to follow her. Sakura walked into another room it was much smaller. The room had a table and a couch, there was a fire blazing and Sakura sat on the couch. Syaoran sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap.  
  
"Well I want to go after the woman who started this crime." Meiling new this was coming yet she had hoped that if Sakura settled down maybe this wouldn't have happened.  
  
"You know how I feel but if this is what you want to do so be it... let me change and then we will discuss this more." Sakura nodded and Meiling left taking the route to Sakura's hidden room.  
  
"Sakura... you know that no matter what I will be right beside you right?" Sakura nodded and laid her head against Syaoran's shoulder.  
  
"Syaoran... I just want to disappear, with you and go far away and not have a care in the world." Syaoran nodded and kissed her cheek. Meiling reappeared and it surprised Syaoran to see that she was wearing some normal clothes.  
  
"Much better to be in normal clothes again. Now if this is what you want I will tell you a few things..." Meiling paused looking at Syaoran.  
  
"Meiling he is part of my life he knows almost everything if not everything... and I wouldn't have it any other way." Meiling nodded and sat down taking a deep breath.  
  
"Well the woman that you are looking for goes by many names, Darkness, Silver Death, Night Wing, but the most you will find is Kaho. She is one of the strongest woman... and she was the one that... I guess you could say created Mist." Sakura rose to her feet and walked to the window.  
  
"You are saying that she was the one that destroyed Mist?" Meiling sighed.  
  
"Sakura there are many things that you do not yet know about..."  
  
"Meiling I have lived my life in the shadows and around death. Please don't tell me that I will know one day or that I am not ready to know yet. Mist has helped me so much I want to return the favor." Meiling nodded and looked at Syaoran.  
  
"Sakura understand that you will know... very soon." Sakura nodded as tears rolled down her cheek.  
  
Mind  
  
'Mist are you there?' Meiling 'Yes what is it?' Mist 'She will never have peace again when it happens will she?' Meiling 'Only time will tell.' Mist  
  
"Sakura I think I well go have some fun before I go to bed see you later okay." Sakura nodded while Syaoran wrapped his arms around her waist. Meiling left them alone.  
  
"Syaoran, I miss my life. The life I had before this." Syaoran kissed her neck and she leaned into him. For the first time letting all of her worries drift away. "Please don't stop not tonight." The sun had set making the room much darker, suddenly Sakura felt much weaker and almost fell yet for Syaoran's arms. He lifted her lightly and carried her to the room that she had here at the company.  
  
Somehow the day had seemed to fly by much faster then it ever had before. The moon and stars didn't even appear in the darkening sky, not that the two lovers would have noticed. For they were entangled in a warm embrace, Syaoran kissed Sakura's neck and pulled her closer to him. Her and his underwear the only thing that separated the two, Syaoran's hands explored her back, and her hands explored his chiseled chest. Their lips met in a fury of passion. Leaving nothing untouched or unexplored, Sakura rolled so that she straddled Syaoran. Her eyes glistened with danger and untold mischief.  
  
"Syaoran how much do you want me right now?" He looked up at her and took in her parsley naked body.  
  
"Sakura right now I want you more then you will ever know." Syaoran pulled her to beneath him and pulled away all the clothing that still separated them.  
  
"Are you that anxious?" Syaoran simply nodded and allowed Sakura to reposition herself below him.  
  
"Are you ready?" Sakura did not answer him but shoved herself towards him and Syaoran silenced her screams with a kiss as her pain subsided so did her screaming.  
  
Outside the room the day was continuing without them, the day was at high noon. Tomoyo was pulling some paper and doing some work when she looked inside the office to find it totally empty. Tomoyo was about to go into the bedroom but thought better of it. If they were in there then she really really didn't want to know what they were doing. Tomoyo turned and left not even pausing to look out the windows. Yet there in the sky was clouds as dark as night shielding much of the upper levels of the corporation. The sky around it was light but would soon darken with the storm that was rolling in.  
  
BRING BRING BRING!!!  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Yes Daidouji I need to speak with Kinomoto this offer she gave the boys doesn't apply to me does it." Tomoyo smiled it was an old friend from the street.  
  
"Sorry Yukito but she is busy but I will tell you that I highly doubt it was meant for you." Tomoyo heard laughing on the other side.  
  
"Well Tomoyo I have to go but tell Sakura to call me and tell me what's going on." Tomoyo heard the dial tone and hung up. Thunder roared outside the window and Tomoyo turned to see that one of the biggest storms were just on the horizon waiting for the right invitation to rain down on the city ahead of it. Tomoyo cursed she had to leave now because that storm looked bad and she knew that Sakura wouldn't care or would rather want Tomoyo to get home especially since her car was horrible in the wet weather.  
  
Sakura looked over at Syaoran he was asleep and the storm rolled on outside. Somehow Sakura suddenly knew that Tomoyo was on her way home, Eriol was waiting for her, and for that matter she knew where everyone in the city was. Her head suddenly ached she slowly removed herself from Syaoran's arms. She walked over to the mirror, staring in it she saw herself naked. Suddenly her body seemed to fad and return.  
  
"Mist?" Sakura whispered into the darkness, she heard Syaoran grunt in his sleep.  
  
"Yes Sakura?" Mist was there as her reflection, Sakura never really understood how Mist accomplished this but knew that she would more then likely never know.  
  
"My head I have never felt this." Mist looked at her realized she was naked and looked over to the bed finding Syaoran there. Mist frowned.  
  
"Sakura, I would have hopped to explain what is going to happen to you, but it is too late. We do not have the time. Sakura what is about to happen will hurt and will make your head explode but do not fight it please... for me." Sakura nodded and relaxed even as more pain pounded into her head. "There is no easy way to tell you this but there are some lies that I will clear up. Most of what happened or rather what I told you about myself was a lie. You see I am who you want me to be... or rather I was up until that night." Sakura shook her head Mist was her friend her real live friend. "I am your friend because you want me to be. Sakura I am you and you in a way are me." Sakura shook her head. "Please Sakura if you fight me we will die both of us." Sakura stopped.  
  
"What should I... what should I do?" Mist sighed.  
  
"There was so much I wanted to tell you before this but you will learn it fast... Sakura this will hurt a lot and there is nothing I can do to help the process, for after this I will no longer be there, it will be you but I will be a part of you one in the same." Sakura nodded not really understanding.  
  
"Mist I will miss you." Mist nodded and seemed to form beside her.  
  
"And I you, my friend." Mist disappeared and Sakura's ache in her head increased to a searing pain. Suddenly words echoed in her head, 'You know that I have heard of a myth... that when love surfaced so would Mist.' Sakura couldn't remember what happen and what didn't. In her searing pain she stumbled to the balcony, the doors swung wide with the help of the raging storm. Sakura stumbled to the railing and the pain all but increased the raging storm seemed to a manifestation of the very pain that went through her head. As a scream ripped through her throat the thunder roared covering up her heart wrenching scream. Her dark tanned body flashed white then back to tan then faded to white. On the center of her back appeared a flower or rather a black cherry blossom, the searing pain increased and her screams ripped from her lungs and her mind shattering glass. The vines suddenly grew all across her body and the pain ebbed.  
  
"Sakura?" Syaoran was there by her side, it appeared as if by magic that her hair streaked black in a final touch of a change that would never revert.  
  
"Syaoran," Her voice was a changing tone of water. "Please don't look at me." He lifted her face but in the darkness of the storm could not see much.  
  
"Sakura, what's wrong?" She sighed her voice breaking and tears rolling down her cheek.  
  
"I finally know why Mist wasn't there that night. I also know why Mist seemed to hate you at first." Syaoran was lost.  
  
"Sakura what are you talking about what's going on?" Sakura looked forward out toward what she knew to be the sea but in the darkness she couldn't see very well the rain and the storm covered the city. When lighting flashed Syaoran saw the streaks that were in her hair.  
  
"You know that I have heard of a myth... that when love surfaced so would Mist.' She said it Meiling she knew...She knew that this would happen. She saw it god why didn't I, it wasn't time Mist had so much more to do... I can't handle this." Sakura stood and walked to the railing grabbing it with all her might. "YOU HEAR ME I CAN'T HANDLE THIS!" Sakura finally fell to her knees and started to cry Syaoran picked her up and took her inside away from the cold rain. Syaoran finally saw the vines that covered her naked body. In a frightened voice he spoke evenly to Sakura.  
  
"Sakura, can you tell me what happened?" Her eyes lifted and looked at him directly in his eyes and there was a mix of many emotions.  
  
"Mist said 'Sakura this will hurt a lot and there is nothing I can do to help the process, for after this I will no longer be there, it will be you but I will be a part of you one in the same.' I know now what she meant." Syaoran shook his head.  
  
"And that is?" Sakura looked at him her eyes filling with tears.  
  
"Mist is nothing more then who I am the part of me that I thought had died that night when my mother died." Syaoran stood listening 'Sakura and Mist were the same one in the same. Same mind, body, and soul, was it really possible?' "Of course it's possible... and now I am reading minds great no wonder Mist was going crazy." 


	11. China and a Surprise

Dragonia: you know I have had an awful couple of months so I am sorry that I haven't updated...  
  
Last Chapter:  
  
"Sakura, can you tell me what happened?" Her eyes lifted and looked at him directly in his eyes and there was a mix of many emotions.  
  
"Mist said 'Sakura this will hurt a lot and there is nothing I can do to help the process, for after this I will no longer be there, it will be you but I will be a part of you one in the same.' I know now what she meant." Syaoran shook his head.  
  
"And that is?" Sakura looked at him her eyes filling with tears.  
  
"Mist is nothing more then who I am the part of me that I thought had died that night when my mother died." Syaoran stood listening 'Sakura and Mist were the same one in the same. Same mind, body, and soul, was it really possible?' "Of course it's possible... and now I am reading minds great no wonder Mist was going crazy."  
  
Chapter 11  
  
China and a Surprise  
  
Sakura slept peacefully her body spent physically and emotionally, even spiritually. Syaoran stood at the balcony the storm raged on and he watched as the thunder became less and less and as the storm ebbed he turned to look at Sakura. She wasn't in the least the same person she was when he first came here. She was still cold to most people, was even harsh in her punishment to those who defied her. Yet this night would change it all, how he wasn't sure. Everyone would figure out that Mist and the corporate leader Sakura were one in the same. He wondered how many police investigations that would effect. Would the court buy the split personality? He imagined they might, but than again they might not it was hard to tell. Walking to the outer door he pulled himself through quickly pulling on a pair of pants and a shirt.  
  
The building was completely empty the corporate leaders beneath Sakura might have all been hard but they still cared about their employees as did Sakura. That's why he knew she wouldn't be angry that they had left early. He had hoped to find someone that knew where he could get some food. He returned to Sakura's office to find that Meiling was already there. In her hands she grasped a wine glass and swirled her last sip of red wine in the glass. He looked at her quizzically the anger played on his face. He knew that she knew it would happen, or rather he knew that she had known what was going to and what already had happened.  
  
"If you knew it was going to happen would you still have done it?" The question broke the silence and Meiling swallowed her last sip without looking at him for the answer, she didn't need one for the result would have been the same.  
  
"You know it still would have happened because it was her choice, not mine." Meiling nodded at Syaoran's answer.  
  
"I am glad to see that you have accepted that she is who she is." Syaoran looked directly at Meiling catching her eyes his fury was more than evident in his eyes.  
  
"Meiling," his words were harsh and without remorse. "I would not have her any other way. I love her for all she is and everything she has yet to be, I would die before seeing her changed in any way unless she wanted it." Meiling stepped forward and pulled out a dagger, she passed it to him carefully to avoid the edges.  
  
"It is good to hear that, this dagger is special you will never know its full strength. When the times come you will know what to do... I am sorry for what its worth. For what has passed and what is to come." Meiling walked out of the room without answering the unspoken question in his eyes. Syaoran looked around and found the sheath for the small wavy dagger. He pushed the dagger in the sheath and placed it on the desk and returned to the bedroom to check on Sakura.  
  
Sakura was still sleeping off the emotional drag. Syaoran looked around and found that it was later than he though in a few hours they would be leaving for his home. He pulled out a suitcase and started to pack.  
  
Hours later  
  
Sakura woke to find herself alone in her corporate bedroom. She vaguely remembered the night before but pushed the thoughts from her mind. She wanted to see the damage first hand. Pulling herself from her bed she walked over to the full length mirror and what she saw did not surprise her in the least. She was standing there her skin paler than the day before, and a tattoo like design along her body the vine ran along her arms and her legs and her stomach along with her neck and some of her face. It did not look too bad, but the tail bothered her. It was hidden now and Sakura was happy with that. For she knew there were things that she had... or rather other appendages that Mist had never touched on fearing that the change would come prematurely. Sakura didn't worry about that though, for now it was final and the change would not hinder her in the least. She would not let it. Sakura turned and dressed in short skirt and a nice dress shirt. The shirt covered up most of her natural tattoo, and her face did not look that pale the skirt did not cover the tattoo but it seemed that the skirt and the top complemented the whole tattoo.  
  
Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadying herself for the crowd that she knew would be waiting. By now everyone was wondering what was going on and why they were getting married. So many questions to answer, she felt the warmth of his arms and the breath that caressed the skin of her neck.  
  
"Sakura Kinomoto no matter what you look like I will always and forever love you... my black cherry blossom." Sakura smiled and turned in his arms, she was glad that he felt this way but then again she knew this he had whispered the same thing all night until she had fallen into a peaceful dreamless sleep.  
  
"I know Syaoran and thank you, but I am ready to face the crowd now." He nodded and pulled her from the room. Tomoyo and Eriol were the first to great them, both were shock by her appearance but not a stunned shocked.  
  
"You know it figures that it would happen this way." Sakura smiled slightly and this really did shock Eriol he hadn't got a smile out of his friend since childhood, at least not a smile like that. "I haven't seen one of those on you for a while." Tomoyo smiled turning to her love.  
  
"Believe me love its not you that makes her smile." Eriol looked horrified and Syaoran laughed.  
  
"Come we should get you two moving your plane leaves within the hour." Sakura nodded and walked forward only to be grabbed by the wrist and pulled back into a loving embrace.  
  
"You ready for this." Sakura nodded receiving a kiss from Syaoran. Sakura and Syaoran joined their friends just outside the doorway and continued to the lobby. Sakura could see the cameras and the reporters before they even reached the door.  
  
Sakura stood tall and placed a mask on her face and Syaoran stopped noticing the sudden change.  
  
"Sakura please don't." Sakura's face changed into that of confusion and Syaoran let go of a breath.  
  
"Don't what?" Sakura was unaware that when she made a mask in this new form it cut him out as well, and he was scared of that.  
  
"When you did that... you might have cut the world out but... you cut me out too." Sakura shook her head and paused letting her face go slack. Then nodded her head and hugged him than kissed his cheek.  
  
"For you than I will not mask myself... I hope you realize that I can't hide anything then." Syaoran smiled, and kissed her lightly on the lips.  
  
"Sakura there is nothing to hide anymore they will know everything and this is the beginning of the end of the war." Sakura nodded and took a deep breath placing her hand in Syaoran as he entwined their fingers. The two walked to the doors that were held open by guards Tomoyo and Eriol were already in the limo waiting for them, they slipped easily by the reporters as in they weren't interested in the couple. Sakura and Syaoran left the building there was a lot of yelling and flashing of cameras along with the rushing sound of traffic.  
  
"Please Ladies and Gentlemen." Sakura's voice rang out in a sweet tone, though it belied her fury. The silence they gave her was immediate for all wanted the words from her mouth. And the small fact that she was both smiling sweetly and had a kind tone something that had never happened in front of the press. "I am sure that you all know my fiancé Li Syaoran. We are leaving to meet his family."  
  
"Miss Kinomoto what about your companies, many people are worried they will lose their jobs?" Sakura looked at Syaoran and raised her brow asking the same question with her eyes.  
  
"I believe that we have yet to discuss that but no one should worry about losing their job unless they screw up big time... and that goes for both of our companies." Sakura nodded conforming Syaoran's small speech.  
  
"What about the wedding where will it be held?" Sakura and Syaoran smiled answering together with the same phrase.  
  
"It will be a private matter." The reporters were stunned the way that the couple answered totally in sink.  
  
"Miss Kinomoto, may we ask what happened to you?" Sakura froze slightly recomposing herself she took a deep breath.  
  
"It is complicated, but let's just say that you all will have a very long story to post in your newspapers." Sakura smiled and Syaoran pulled her arm around him and led her to the limo.  
  
"One more question for the happy couple." They turned to face the crowd there in the front was a woman with long brown hair her eyes were shaded by her bangs. "What do you plan to do when your family shows up?" Sakura's face fell hard and her eyes started to water. Sakura climbed into the limo without a word and Syaoran turned to the crowd.  
  
"We will of course welcome her brother with open arms." Syaoran climbed in behind Sakura and pulled her into his embrace.  
  
Sakura just sat there and allowed to be held, her heart broke. Her family wasn't... didn't exist. Sakura cried lightly onto Syaoran, his shirt was now wet with her tears.  
  
"Sakura... come on now if he does come we will deal with it then not now." Sakura nodded clearing her eyes of the tears and pulling herself together.  
  
"Sakura are you okay?" Tomoyo came and sat next to her, this was the first time that Tomoyo had seen any real emotion from Sakura for a long time. Sakura nodded.  
  
"Yes, Tomoyo I am fine." Sakura turned to Eriol, and took a deep breath. "Eriol you will no longer have a problem from Mist... only from me." Eriol nodded it was harder for him to accept it but it was better this way he knew it. Sakura had been split for far too long, he had noticed the change in her. From the beginning when she came she wasn't what he remembered but then again it seemed as if much of his past was erased from his memory. With that he wasn't really surprised for Mist didn't want anything bad coming up in Sakura's past and in such had made everything or rather almost everything of her past be forgotten from almost everyone.  
  
Sakura did not say a word all the way to the airport. She looked out into space and would not start a conversation she was stuck in a rut of memories as they headed down the road. Her father's death, her mother's murder, the funerals, and her brother's betrayal, how it all led her to this point. Where she led a company in dresses and dancing and she was marrying a cop that... that really loved her and was to be a leader in his own cooperation very soon.  
  
The limo came to a halt and Sakura looked up to see Tomoyo and Eriol getting out of the limo. Sakura followed them out without looking back or looking where she was going, Syaoran followed her out steadying her at the same time. Before them was the airport but to the side was a privet jet to which they would take to China and to the Li family.  
  
"SAKURA! Wait please!" Sakura did not turn to face the voice, or the man that it belonged to. Another voice soon followed that she would listen to though.  
  
"Sakura please I know you want to leave but we need to talk!" Sakura turned to face Meiling, Yukito, and her ever betrayal brother Touya. Sakura was about to turn back around but the look on her brother's face made her stop. His fear of losing her even more was written plainly on his face.  
  
"Meiling, Yukito I can talk to you but... Touya I can not." Sakura paused and allowed them to close the distance.  
  
"Sakura, please don't go." Sakura stepped back into Syaoran's arms.  
  
"Why shouldn't I?" Touya froze trying to think fast.  
  
"Touya I am coming back. I can not deal with you right now... you and all of..." Sakura turned back to Syaoran he was holding her easily but the tension in his chest and arms proved to show that he was angry. Sakura smiled and suddenly it was all okay, suddenly she was Mist both Mist and Sakura. It took this long for Sakura to realize that all her life she had been split between innocence and pain, anger and happiness, fear and courage, and hate and love. She had split herself because at the time she couldn't deal with the pain, but now... it was different she could and she would. For now she was who she was always meant to be, a leader and a fighter. Sakura turned back around there wasn't a mask on her face. She showed her anger and her fear but it was controlled and she frowned. "Touya when I return we all of us will talk. But not until then."  
  
"Sakura... I am sorry for everything... after what happened I received help and now I am not better... but I know now what I did wrong and I know that will never change what I did and I am not by no means asking for an apology I am just looking to make up for what I have done... I want to walk you down the isle... I want to be the one to give you away." Sakura looked at him she saw no lies, Touya she had to admit was very good at lying but Mist was always able to detect that and now so she was also able to, but she found no such things in his head only sincere need of wanting to be in her life. Finally Sakura went against her better judgment and walked over to Touya closing the space easily, he looked fearful for a moment fearful that she might hit him but instead she placed her hand lightly on his face.  
  
"My brother... it feels odd to call you that for you were never there for me... not when father died... not when mother was murdered... not even when my friends died... but you are here now. I don't know why and I don't know if I want to know why, I am Mist and Mist has always been me. I will always have anger towards what you have done, but I hold no fear of you, not now not ever. I know deep down even long ago you loved me like none of them could, and wanted the best for me in your own twisted way. So against it all I will let you, I even want you to in some small way. Let this be the beginning of our family once again." Sakura turned and joined the others walking towards the plane but stopped only a few seconds afterward. "And Touya if you do anything to hurt my future I will kill you." Touya froze he took her words as a joke and answered back.  
  
"Is that a threat or a promise?" Sakura turned her anger present but an eerie smile graced her lips a smile that scared Touya even from so far away.  
  
"Why dead brother, it is neither, it is inevitable that is if you screw up. If you don't it will be one step closer to you being in my life... that is what you want isn't it." Touya simply nodded he wasn't surprised so much as scared, Sakura never believed in promises. Or anything forsworn at least from what he remembered she wouldn't make them, yet if you made them to her. That was something unforgivable, if you broke a promise to Sakura/Mist Kinomoto your fate was something worse than death.  
  
Sakura turned with her group once again and started for the door of the plane. The group didn't walk far before Meiling was beside them walking backward, she was wearing a pair of jeans that were faded and her top slanted so that she had one sleeve.  
  
"So Sakura you are really going to go through with this charade?" Meiling had a gleam in her eye and Sakura knew that she was up to something so again she stopped her group and turned to Meiling.  
  
"Meiling is there a reason that you are holding us up?" Meiling smiled and shook her head no. Sakura sighed knowing that she was waiting for an answer. "What charade?" Meiling laughed heartily.  
  
"You know it was nice and all that you said the two of you were going to get married but come on now. You are whole again and you don't need this loser to finish your quest." Sakura whirled to face Meiling directly her eyes on fire and her voice colder than any of her friends ever remembered hearing. Her very body seemed to emanate the mist that Mist had been named for.  
  
"Bitch." The words came out in a forced whisper as Sakura slapped Meiling across the face. "I expected this from everyone else but never from you my best friend, my role model my... clan leader. This as we both have told you is no 'charade' and if you must know I am not whole without him. I don't care what anyone says... He did not quiver in fear when I turned he did not leave he stayed by my side all night telling me that it was okay to be me, that no matter what I was he would love me for who I was." Sakura's voice was harsh and cold riveting with the anger that rushed through her veins. "As far as you need to know what we have is real and for all I care you can... go... to... hell." Sakura paused looking for the right words before she finished her sentence, spiting each word as if it was just as vile as poison. Sakura turned and headed toward the plane not looking back or saying anything until she was about to enter. Sakura looked inside and saw all the furnishing, everything was perfect. She tilted her head and looked down seeing the outside and her friends looking at her.  
  
"Yukito, I want you to be there too. I don't know why but I want all three of you there... but Meiling, Touya I will never stand for what you just did... if either of you try to stop this... I will not hesitate to throw you both in jail or kill you. That I can do. Yukito before I go... know that when you are ready I will tell you what you need to fight, and to save what happened to you from ever happening to anyone ever again." Everyone looked at Yukito no one knew what Sakura was talking about except Yukito and Sakura herself. Yukito nodded his face was pale and his eyes dulled. Sakura turned and walked into the plane disappearing into the shadows.  
  
Syaoran nodded to Eriol and Tomoyo, they followed Sakura onto the plane. He turned to Meiling looking at her and taking her in for the first time. He saw the surprise on her face but even worse he saw a tear that streaked down her face. A face that was still red from where Sakura had slapped her, for the first time Syaoran realized how young Meiling must be. When he first saw her she looked much older but right now she appeared to be a little lost, the words hurt her.  
  
"You deserved it you know." Meiling turned to him and she nodded, she was older than Sakura only by a few years though. There was much history between the two but he could not place where it might have been.  
  
"She saved me... or rather Mist did I learned a lot that night from Mist. She told me all of it because I was in her debt forever. She saved me from something worse than hell, and kept me safe long after it was over." Meiling sighed, "I heard that Tomoyo was the one that made the announcement and I just thought that... well I knew if I confronted her that she might back off. I never expected." Meiling turned to face him the fury gone from her eyes. There was no fire, no brilliance, nothing filled her eyes it was pain and sadness on the edge of a chasm. "I never realized that she returned those feelings... I never realized that you were really the one to make her whole again and keep it that way... Please tell her that I am sorry and that I will be there with bells on." Syaoran nodded and walked onto the plane. He sat down next to Sakura at the back of the plane. Tomoyo and Eriol had slipped into the bathroom for a moment. Syaoran was sure that it would be much longer than a moment though.  
  
"Sakura, Meiling says she's sorry and she will be there with bells on." Sakura simply nodded as Tomoyo came out laughing with Eriol behind her. Tomoyo walked over to Sakura.  
  
"Are you sure I can't go with you guys?" Syaoran shook his head and Sakura spoke.  
  
"No Japan needs both of you." Tomoyo laughed and looked at Sakura.  
  
"No you mean your company needs me, Japan needs you." Tomoyo turned and left the plane pulling Eriol with her.  
  
"Those two, do they ever get tired of doing that I wonder." Sakura looked up at him, a wicked gleam in her eye. She pulled the seat belt on as the plane started to move. Syaoran soon followed her. As the plane started to move Sakura laid her hand on Syaoran's thigh. He looked over at her, not expecting much he sat there thinking on other things. Sakura's hand moved up further to his crotch and massaged his area. Syaoran was thinking about his family when he was suddenly interrupted by Sakura's hand moving up further he didn't have a fast enough reaction to stop her. He bit his lip trying to stop the moan that was going to rip through his throat. He was vaguely aware of what Sakura was doing. Sakura moved so that she could whisper into his ear.  
  
"Moan I know you want to." Sakura smiled as Syaoran finally let out the moan. Sakura pulled away suddenly as if she had been burned and Syaoran felt the loss more than ever before. Syaoran moved his hand on her thigh moving the thin skirt out of the way so that he could touch her skin directly. He heard more than felt the sharp intake of breath beside him. Sakura tried to move but the seat belt was a hindrance, Sakura could not stop him for she had started the game. Syaoran moved quickly up as she had done to him, but instead of massaging her he moved the layer of panties aside and pressed against her core. Sakura bit back a moan and Syaoran smiled she was always harder to make moan. He was comparatively weak in that area but he loved torturing her. He pressed harder and than pushed a finger into her. Her moan was louder than his was, the plane evened out and Syaoran unbuckled his seat belt quietly not making a noise. He slipped out of his seat and straddled Sakura. When she finally opened her eyes she found him above her.  
  
"Sakura you started this game." Sakura nodded and he pulled her hands above her not allowing her to unbuckle herself. Syaoran locked her seatbelt so that it wouldn't give when she moved forward. Syaoran moved his fingers and pushed another one inside of her. Her moan was cut off when he kissed her. She was stuck totally at his mercy she couldn't move he had her wrists in his left hand and his right hand almost in her. His knees kept her legs together and his feet were keeping her legs down. Syaoran pulled away from her and she still couldn't move.  
  
Syaoran moved her legs apart and pulled them up so that her legs were separated almost till it hurt. Syaoran pushed her up slightly so that she was sitting on his lap. Syaoran was now sitting Indian style and somehow he had gotten his pants undone. Sakura was looking at him he still had her wrists in his left hand. And his right hand was now lying on her back. Sakura smiled at him the gleam gone from her eyes.  
  
"Sakura I want you to say it." Sakura looked at him.  
  
"Say what?"  
  
"I want you to say that you want me." Sakura smiled that was easy.  
  
"I want you." Syaoran smiled, he kissed her lightly pulling away and making her follow until the seatbelt stopped her. It crossed over her shoulders and again right under her breasts. It gave way so that you could move up if you were taller. Sakura wanted to reach down and remove the hindrance but apparently Syaoran didn't want it removed. Sakura wrapped her legs around Syaoran and felt him move so that he was beneath her. She felt him he wanted her. Syaoran didn't think about her underwear or in other words didn't see that they would make a problem.  
  
"Sakura I don't know why you wear these, they only become an annoyance when you where skirts." Syaoran pulled out a knife from his pocket.  
  
"Syaoran I don't have any more up here." Syaoran smiled and looked at her.  
  
"Then I guess you will just have to be careful who is looking up your skirt." Sakura's eyes went wide as Syaoran cut the underwear off of her instead of taking them off. He threw them to the other side of the plane. Syaoran looked up at her and pulled himself closer to her.  
  
"Syaoran sometimes you can be such a..." Sakura was silenced by both Syaoran's mouth on hers and his entrance into her. Sakura moaned and Syaoran took control of her mouth taking in all of her taste. Sakura couldn't breathe and tried to pull away. He let her go but barely letting her rest her forehead on his. He slowly moved his hips and pulled her closer.  
  
"Syaoran is there anyone... anyone else on the plane." Syaoran looked at her and smiled kissing her again and leaving her breathless.  
  
"The pilot but he knows to leave us alone." Sakura was about to speak but Syaoran didn't let her taking her mouth as his once again and finally releasing the seatbelt and pausing only to push the seatbelt off. He pulled her to the floor of the plane and continued to make love to her.  
  
Meanwhile  
  
"I am sorry mistress but there is not that can be done from here." The woman raised her hand and waved it in the air dismissing the young man from her sight. As the man left the woman smiled it wasn't the worst thing to be evil it had its ups and its downs. One of the ups was that she could have any man she wanted and right now she had her eyes on one person in particular.  
  
"Guards!" Her voice echoed out over the small house. Two men entered, these two were the best she had and they could get anyone she wanted. "I want Touya Kinomoto here..." when the men didn't move she continued. "I want him NOW not two weeks from now." The guards looked at each other and headed towards the door. "And I want him ALIVE and UNHARMED!" The guards cringed at that, their mistress liked to inflict her own punishment but only if it was truly deserved... then again she believed everyone deserved punishment. The mistress waited patiently she didn't have to wait long, for the men returned within ten minutes with Touya. Touya looked around like a lost dog not sure where to go or what to do.  
  
"Hello again Touya... how is Sakura?" Touya froze fear penetrating every part of his body.  
  
"She's fine... leave her alone. She didn't do anything to you." the woman stood up and walked over to him placing her hand on his cheek.  
  
"No you are right she didn't... yet." Touya looked away.  
  
"Touya come now is that any way to treat your mistress." Touya pulled away from her.  
  
"You are not my master any more." The woman laughed, "Touya you are so very naïve I don't think you get it. You have always been mine and always will be mine." Touya shook his head violently.  
  
"No not anymore. Sakura is coming for you and I will not be here when she comes." The woman slapped Touya and sent him flying. The power that coursed through her veins was apparent in this small movement.  
  
"Stupid boy!" She spat the words at him as he laid on the floor in front of her. "It matters not what your sister does I am a demon and she can not compare to my power." The woman waved her hands to the guards and they left. She walked over to Touya where he was sprawled across the floor. "Come now, Touya I will give you all that you have ever wanted." Touya weakly shook his head. "Fine I will take all I want from you." The woman pulled him to his feet and pushed him to the wall. Her hands came to end in claws not fingertips, she rubbed her hands over his chest and smiled evilly as she looked into his eyes his fear flooded him and he stopped resisting her as he had done all those years ago.  
  
China  
  
Sakura looked out the window the city wasn't much different from her own. Except here in this city the Li family ruled instead of Sakura Kinomoto. She wondered if it would make a difference that she was also a heroine. Sakura waited patiently for Syaoran to get the rest of the baggage. Sometimes he was a real gentlemen, Sakura smiled thinking of all of the things that they had discussed on the drive to the company earlier yesterday. Her wrist was grasped lightly and Sakura smiled remembering what happened not so long ago. Sakura let his arms snake around her waist.  
  
"No reporters not yet but if we don't leave there will be." Sakura nodded and they walked to the limo together. The sights weren't that much different from Japan they had cities and airports, even forests. The only thing that China had that Japan didn't was her love's family, something she wanted to have. Sakura followed Syaoran into the limo not a word passing between them. Sakura was looking out the window when a cell phone rang. It happened to be Syaoran's so Sakura watched the scenery that passed by, not really listening to his conversation.  
  
"Hello," Syaoran nodded even though he knew the other person couldn't see the gesture. "Really," he nodded again and took out a piece of paper and wrote something done. "Yes, I got it... thank you... you too." Sakura looked over at him and he locked eyes with her. "Apparently, my family is really excited that you are coming and have planned a dinner and something else." Sakura simply nodded looking back out the window.  
  
"Syaoran... there is something I should tell you before..." Syaoran's phone rang again and he looked apologetically at her and she simply nodded saying it was okay.  
  
"Hello," his face paled. "Mother... yes... she's right here..." Syaoran looked at Sakura holding his hand over the mouth piece.  
  
"She wants to talk to you." Sakura nodded and took the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Miss Kinomoto," Sakura flinched at the coldness in the voice the way it played her name as if it was a piece of meat for a moment Sakura wondered if this woman was teasing her for it sounded remarkably how she referred to many of her employees. "I hope that you have had a good flight I wouldn't want my daughter to be, to be tired. I hope my son is being a gentleman." Sakura shifted like she was under the woman's gaze.  
  
"Perfect, madam." She heard some shuffling in the background and some shushing.  
  
"Please Kinomoto call me Yelan." Sakura shifted again.  
  
"Only if you call me Sakura." Sakura finally had some semblance of comfort and said, "When someone says Kinomoto I automatically think that I am in trouble then I want to yell at them for calling me that." Yelan smiled on the other end she was truthful but Yelan covered up her smile by answering her.  
  
"Yes well I don't think that you need to do either but it would be nice to see some of that commanding air of yours when you get here, Sakura." Sakura nodded her resolve returning.  
  
"Yes, Yelan."  
  
"Now please put my ambiguous son back on the line." Sakura handed the phone back to Syaoran and looked out the window they were now coming up to a gate but they did not stop, the gate opened ahead of them and they just entered without pausing.  
  
"Sakura," she turned to find him watching her and he had hung up the phone. "There was something you were going to tell me?" Sakura shook her head and remembered what she was going to tell him only to be interrupted by the car stopping and the door opening. "Don't worry they can wait." Sakura shook her head again and left the car Syaoran soon following.  
  
"No it would be better if I told you later love." Sakura walked up the stairs with Syaoran's arm around her waist he held her tightly almost as if he was afraid that she would run away. Sakura took his other hand and squeezed it and he returned it. Sakura stepped up and the doors opened and they continued through. The mansion was very much what she had expected, a chandelier, a stair case leading to the upper levels an open living room to the right and a door to the left more than likely leading to the huge dinning room. They were standing in a room that on the off days could be used as a ball room even though for size she knew it was a small greeting room. Sakura looked around not in the least surprised people who were rich or had been rich before their parents were even thought of normally inherited such defined places. Sakura waited until Syaoran started to move, but before he could get a few feet there were four shrieks that made ears want to run. They came from the upper levels and Sakura stepped back as Syaoran stepped forward protecting her from his sisters.  
  
"Xiao Lang... it is good to have you home." Screeched the first one, taking his check between two fingers, Syaoran batted her hand away.  
  
"Come now sisters he is growing up." The second one stood a little off to the side making comments her stomach enlarged slightly.  
  
"Yes that's why he is so cute!" The third decided to add something of her own.  
  
"Xiao Lang I missed you." The last one was much bigger her pregnancy very noticeable as she tackled Syaoran in a hug so fierce he almost fell to the ground.  
  
"Sister's please I need to breathe." His sisters let go of him and they all turned to Sakura, as a group they gasped her appearance wasn't what they had expected. Sakura had changed from what she had been wearing before. Her top came together shorter on one side than on the other. It revealed much more of her tattoo than her first shirt the skirt was longer than the first but was also cut so that both the top and the skirt slanted in the same direction. Sakura did not look angry or even upset she seemed almost satisfied at the look the sisters had, a look that was closer to surprise and fear than happiness.  
  
"Sisters I would like you to meet my fiancé Sakura Kinomoto. Sakura I would like you to meet my sisters. Fuutie, Shiefa, Fanren, and Feimei," each in turn nodded to her Fuutie was only 2 months pregnant ready to get married to the father, and Fanren was 8 months pregnant and married.  
  
"It is nice to meet all six of you." The girls looked at each other counting and realized she meant the babies too. The girls laughed and smiled though they still looked apprehensive about Sakura.  
  
"If you don't mind me asking Sakura you do not look as you did... when I saw you last." Sakura smiled and nodded looking away for a moment before finally answering. The girls nodded with the oldest sister's question.  
  
"Before you only saw half of who I was now who you see before you is..." Sakura turned and looked at the girls for impression. "Me, the real me whole and sane." The girls nodded for more than one understand what she meant. It was not that she was getting married that would make her whole it was finding another piece of who she was while she was doing it.  
  
"Xiao Lang..." A woman had descended the stairs and was now at the bottom facing them the sisters parted giving the woman a clear view of both Syaoran and Sakura. "Sakura..." Yelan paused as she looked over Sakura but continued over as if there had been nothing different about Sakura from a normal person. Yelan closed the distance between her and her son easily with the grace that was natural born and the authority that came with working and ordering people through the worst of times. She placed her long fingers onto her son's shoulders, kissing him on the forehead she spoke clearly but not loudly allowing the echo to carry her voice and make it be heard. "It is good to have you home, son." Syaoran simply nodded hugging his mother in a simple embrace that was mostly for show. Sakura felt the tension increase as Yelan looked her over, Sakura could tell the gaze was critical and Sakura having dealt with people of the like stood straight and raised her head to meet the gaze. Yelan after a moment smiled.  
  
"Yelan." Yelan nodded and motioned for Sakura to come forward.  
  
"I see that you do not look as I have seen you before when did you acquire this little alteration." Sakura looked straight into the woman's eyes and did not back down.  
  
"I think it is best if I say that I acquired it a long time ago it is only started to become more apparent recently." The sisters looked at her skeptically but Yelan simply nodded motioning for them to follow as she walked to the stairs. The sisters backed off going into the open living room. It was time for the elders to meet the happy couple. Sakura watched the hallways that they passed to her it appeared as they were going in circles. Apparently this place was much bigger then it appeared. Yelan led them further and deeper beyond the bed rooms and the normal areas of the house. Yelan glanced over her shoulder her son was glancing nervously over his shoulder at Sakura. She wasn't taking notice though she was too involved with her surroundings to notice even if she knew what to look for.  
  
Yelan thought about everything for a moment. Her son at first had appeared to be much worse for the ware. Yet now he appeared different, she observed him carefully he appeared slightly jittery as if his skin was crawling. She gathered it might be, he of course had never liked the elders. Sometimes Yelan wondered if that was the real reason he left not just because they told him to get married. He was back now, with a woman who appeared to be much more then the elaborate body art and the commanding demeanor. Yelan paused at a door and turned to face the couple. Syaoran snaked his hand into Sakura's and gave it a light squeeze Sakura returned with her own squeeze. Yelan smiled inwardly and spoke softly.  
  
"Stay here until you are called." Yelan paused and turned specifically to Sakura, "Answer the truth, do not lie, and do not look down. Match their fury with your own that is how you will find a place in this family." Sakura nodded her fury already willing and waiting to be pushed over. Yelan entered the dark room there was no sound that came from it and Syaoran and Sakura stood side by side waiting.  
  
"I think my mother likes you." Sakura glanced at Syaoran.  
  
"Really how?" Syaoran glanced back at her.  
  
"She warned you what to expect she has never ever done that." Syaoran grinned and then straightened his face as the door opened. Sakura quickly followed keeping a straight face and followed Syaoran's lead as he entered when the person behind the door motioned them within.  
  
The room was darker then Sakura thought it could have been. Before them was a tiny area of light that revealed five people sitting around a half circle table, it appeared that a woman was standing off to the side. Sakura gathered that it was Yelan for she was the correct height. Syaoran was not stupid the way that the room he knew had been set up to impress Sakura he also knew that this set up would not in any way impress her.  
  
There were two men and three women that occupied the table. The men appeared to be much older then they actually were the first a thin man was dressed in a deep red and his hair was white which was unusual in itself for a Chinese. The second appeared to look the age he really was, by and by it was much older then he really wanted to be he was wearing a deep blue. He was bigger then he should have been but it was not without adaptability, he could lift much of which many people his age could not have even moved at their best years. The first woman was much younger then an elder should be, her dress was a deep yellow and her face seemed to be whiter because of it. The second woman slightly older did not smile or move much at all appearing dead in a deep purple dress. The last woman sat in the center, she was much older then all of them. Her dress a deeper green then Sakura's eyes, but her eyes were a red deep and furious she sat emotionless except for her eyes. Sakura stood before them and did not move she had removed her hand from Syaoran's before they entered.  
  
"Leaders of the Li clan I would like to present to you my fiancée Lady Sakura Kinomoto." Some of the elders spoke among themselves but the center one raised her eyebrow to his words.  
  
"Lady... what makes this... charlatan a lady and what gives her the right to stand before us in such an unwavering state." Syaoran did not allow the fury to show in his face but it was more than obvious in his eyes.  
  
"Lady... the term Lady is defined as one who has come from a royal family and has royal blood. If I am a lord and I come from a company leader and a clan. Then she must be the equivalent for she is a daughter of the Kinomoto line. Both strength in mind and body, and an immeasurable amount of power spiritual, I have accepted her and I hope you all can except her too." The woman stood and walked around the table to stand before Sakura, she placed a cold hand on Sakura's face.  
  
"You mean to say that if we do not accept her you will leave and marry her anyway." She turned to Syaoran and frowned. "You know we do not like this, she is weak. She has been defiled. I mean look at her body those tattoos have made her a disgrace to not only Japan but to her family too." Syaoran was angry but when the woman mentioned Sakura's family he looked over at her through the corner of his eye and saw that she was not afraid or even amused she was emotionless, or so he thought.  
  
"Elder... I have been respectful and silent while you have attacked and tried to embarrass me. It is clear to me why I have come, to get an approval of this family. But from what I have seen it is easy to understand why Syaoran has left. He wants to return that's why he wants you to accept me... not that I can understand why. I have walked this place and seen the way you treat each other. These tattoos which you think are a disgrace are in fact a piece of who I am, I can not remove them for they have not been placed on me in a conventional way only a magical way. As for being defiled... well if that's what I get for loving your son then so be it. Besides even if I was in Japan my family would not be disgraced for there is no Kinomoto clan anymore... or ever again." Sakura turned her head up and took a deep breath before continuing. "I do not need your approval or your permission, nor do I really want it... but Syaoran my love does and for him I will ask for it." The five looked at her curiously.  
  
The youngest female broke the silence first. "She speaks the truth... but how much of the truth is actually spoken." The elder woman shook her head and walked back to her seat, she did not look up again.  
  
"I believe that we need to discuss this a little more... we have made a decision under false pretenses." Syaoran turned to leave.  
  
"Please sleep well we will give you our answer in the morning." Sakura turned but paused as she had done earlier on the plane she looked over her shoulder.  
  
"Home... what I used to call home... I would give anything to have a family once again... I do not see how you can look at each other thus. As if... as if you do not care for one another, my life has been hard and sad. Yet you sit here around a table decided if I am appropriate person to help lead a clan... I did not choose to fall in love with Syaoran, nor did I choose to have a family that would leave me all alone. The only person that is left in my family is my brother a murderous man. Even now I wish to see him for he is still my brother and I still love him... for all it is worth, if I didn't marry Syaoran... I wouldn't marry at all... ever." Sakura walked away with Syaoran by her side leaving the elders to speak amongst themselves on where to go from here.  
  
Later  
  
Syaoran led Sakura down the hall it wasn't that long until Sakura was completely lost, and it was getting very late. Sakura had met some more people most of them had been people who knew the family and were friends. None of them cared for the fact that Syaoran was marrying outside of the family. Sakura had tried to impress them but failing at that each time her anger overrunning her senses and finally she yelled that she was through with wasting her time. She ended up throwing one of the younger men that had place a hand on her thigh out a window. Syaoran of course would have done it if she hadn't.  
  
"Sakura here we are your room is linked to mine." Sakura came out of her thoughts and just stared at him until she finally heard what he said and nodded. Sakura opened the door and walked inside, her mind faltered and she moved to the bed using it to support her. Syaoran was curious Sakura had left the door open and stumbled to the bed hanging onto the bed post and barely standing. Syaoran walked in and closed the door, he walked to her and pulled her into an embrace her legs gave out and Syaoran held her tightly.  
  
"Syaoran... before when we were in the car and I wanted to tell you something I want to tell you that now..." Sakura yawned and Syaoran shook his head.  
  
"Sakura you should go to bed we can talk in the morning." Syaoran lifted her and laid her on the bed.  
  
"Syaoran... this is important I want to tell you that I think I might be..." Sakura drifted off before she could tell him the rest and Syaoran shook his head thinking it was something simple and left the room.  
  
Morning  
  
Syaoran had been up all night, he did not favor sleep last night. Coming to train here in this room was his only option. He was not sure how long he had been there but as he continued to punch through the air his eyes closed thinking on the last couple days. Normally he would not have let something like this continue. The wedding he didn't know why but for some reason, he wanted to live with Sakura more then he wanted to move back home. Syaoran's punch contented with a solid body, opening his eyes he found that Sakura was there ready to spar with him. Syaoran arched an eyebrow, and looked at her but had no time to comment as her fist was heading toward his face. Ducking he avoided her punch but not her foot as she kicked his feet out form under him.  
  
She sat on him finishing the fight, she of course liked the view she had seen when she first entered. Syaoran had taken his shirt off some time ago, leaving him in black silk pants specifically designed for fighting and practicing. Sakura sat there looking at him his chest was glistened with sweat. Helping him to his feet she then attacked him leaving no chance for him to counter. Again she kicked his feet out from under him but this time Syaoran grabbed her and pulled her atop him. Once they had fallen he rolled her underneath him.  
  
"Are you quite finished?" Sakura simply nodded breathing a little hard. "If I hadn't been so tired I would have been able to show you some more moves." Sakura simply nodded her face changed and her eyes watered. Syaoran rose to his feet and pulled her up. "Sakura what's wrong?" Sakura shook her head. "Sakura, honey, what's wrong?" Sakura looked at him and nodded to the benches. Sakura sat down and for the first time Syaoran noticed that she hadn't spoken a word. Then it fit something was really wrong and the fight was to help her figure out a solution. "Sakura... is there a reason that you are not speaking." Sakura looked at him oddly then finally spoke.  
  
"No... we are supposed to go the meeting in a few minutes... but before we do I want to tell you something I didn't get to tell you last night. I think I am changing again..." Syaoran knelt before her.  
  
"How? I thought that you were finished with it." Sakura looked at her hands and lifted them for him to see. There on her hand was a small design nothing larger then a quarter but there was a small teardrop.  
  
"I am still changing I never really stopped... I am not sure what this means... I want. No I need to talk to Meiling. I know she knows what is going on." Syaoran nodded pulling out his phone it would be a little weird but he dialed the company's number.  
  
"Good morning Kinomoto Dance Corporation, Shie speaking how may I help you?" Syaoran growled at dialing the wrong connection.  
  
"Yes you can connect me with Tomoyo and you can make it fast." Shie shook on the other side she recognized the voice it had come three or four times and each time it sounded annoyed or angry this time it sounded anxious so she hurried the person had never been mean. No where near what she knew was possible.  
  
"Right away sir just a second." True to her word s few seconds later, much faster then she had done before Syaoran was connected and the phone rang three times.  
  
"Hello, Kinomoto office how may I help you?" Tomoyo's voice was cheery and she bubbled with life, despite himself Syaoran grinned.  
  
"Yes, Tomoyo it's me I need to know do you know where Meiling is at this moment." Tomoyo sighed.  
  
"Yes she is right here we were talking about you guys." Syaoran heard Meiling in the back round.  
  
"Okay which one is Syaoran or Sakura?" Tomoyo answered "Syaoran."  
  
"Put Meiling on the phone it's important and Sakura needs to talk to her." Syaoran turned and handed the phone to Sakura without waiting for a reply. Sakura relayed her thoughts to Meiling. On the other end Meiling shook her head sadly, and then sighed her mind already working miles ahead.  
  
"Sakura, Mist never told me of this... she never thought to tell me for she thought she would be able to tell you. Yet from what you have told me it appears that you are preparing for the battle at hand. I can not tell you what you might change to, how much you will turn or if you will ever be the same. All I know is that the change will be over a long period of time a few weeks maybe a month. I'm not sure but maybe there are some answers in your very memory, since you and Mist are one in the same the answers are there in your head Sakura all you have to do is look." The line started to go and crackling Meiling said something but the line went dead. Sakura handed the phone back to Syaoran.  
  
"I believe that your family is going to be in for a surprise." Syaoran looked at her and shook his head.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sakura stood and looked at him.  
  
"I mean there will be a change a battle and a very big ending. That is the surprise."  
  
Dragonia: I hope you like this I don't know really where to go from here... this one is longer then the others there was a lot that I wanted to fit in this one... there was a lot more that I wanted to fit into this one but it will just have to wait till next time.  
  
Preview-  
  
The sky was rolling and everything was going wrong, nothing happened as was planned. There before them all was a stone, a stone that hadn't even been thought of the day before, it is sad how a happy day had fallen like this. It can only be imagined what would happen now. 


	12. Ying Hwa

Dragonia: Wow such a long time… I can't believe this I am actually going to try to finish this story. Yay.

Review

"Sakura, Mist never told me of this... she never thought to tell me for she thought she would be able to tell you. Yet from what you have told me it appears that you are preparing for the battle at hand. I cannot tell you what you might change to, how much you will turn or if you will ever be the same. All I know is that the change will be over a long period of time a few weeks maybe a month. I'm not sure but maybe there are some answers in your very memory, since you and Mist are one in the same the answers are there in your head Sakura all you have to do is look." The line started to go and crackling Meiling said something but the line went dead. Sakura handed the phone back to Syaoran.

"I believe that your family is going to be in for a surprise." Syaoran looked at her and shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Sakura stood and looked at him.

"I mean there will be a change a battle and a very big ending. That is the surprise."

Chapter 12

Ying Hwa

Somewhere in Japan

"So you are telling me that she is now Mist?" the tall woman with long brown hair smiled. "That would explain the new tattoos." The woman looked down at the man that she had beaten for information. Her brother she had and continued to use him maliciously. First it was for his money, he had married into her family young. Her family had been poor but she had been powerful. She had easily stolen him from her cousin and had him housed here. He tried to escape many times. Even tried to kill himself a few times but her hold on him was too strong.

"Please leave her alone." Touya spit a tooth out and tried to get to his feet only to be slapped across the room again and slam into the wall. He held in the cry not wanting to give her the pleasure of hearing him call out.

"I would not have had to go this far if you could have gotten me the company. But now this has set me back much further with the return of Mist I need to find the weakness." The woman sighed. "Now since I turned you against her a long time ago the only one that might be able to turn her towards us is her friend Tomoyo… But I will have to be careful." The woman sat in a chair that more related a throne. Her thoughts were interrupted by a man in black entering his choice of entrance allowed no one to know that he was there but those that were in the room.

"Mistress." He knelt at her feet and stayed there till she acknowledged him.

"Yes, what did you learn?" His smile was clear as he stood and looked at the one woman he respected.

"Many things milady, first of all it would be a good idea to get one named Meiling. She knows many things about this Mist character. Second the wedding is planning on being held in china at the Li compound. I also found that in the top of the Ragged Blossom Corporation Miss Kinomoto has an apartment. I was unable to infiltrate the facility to that point but I did find that this is where Miss Daidouji spends most of her time; apparently she is Kinomoto's right hand assistant." The man nodded and looked at his mistress carefully fully aware that he was being interrogated for all the information that he held any detail that would be helpful to the situation and upcoming battle. "From my understanding Kinomoto really cares for her company and the employees." The woman smiled devilishly and nodded pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You have exceeded my expectations." She stepped down from the makeshift throne and stepped forward placing her long fingers on his cheek. "What do you wish as a reward?" He did not stiffen at her touch as many others had, his eyes seemed to sparkle.

"I only wish to serve you milady. Anything I can do to make the lady smile I will do without hesitation." She laid her lips to her forward and whispered orders into his ear sending shivers down his back.

"Bring me Tomoyo and place a bomb in the company. Place it on an upper floor so that it takes out her apartment. Place one down on the lower floors and make it remote for later. I want her to suffer so that she will learn not to face a war without a great plan that is if she survives." The woman removed her hand and he bowed speaking clearly.

"If my lady were to wish it they would all die swiftly or slowly. All I would need is a word." Her smile twisted and she stepped forward.

"Do this for me and I will give you a reward greater then you have yet to receive." His eyes seemed to light up with a fire behind them so great that his eyes seemed to turn the color of blood.

"Milady?" She smiled and circled him looking him up and down.

"Don't think that I haven't noticed the way that you look at me." His heart pounded louder in his chest and her demon abilities drank in the partial fear. "Do not think me stupid, you would do anything for me because you love me. It's endearing in a twisted way. Spinel I saved you from a fate that you could not imagine and you have served me loyally ever since." Still she circled him like a cat circling a mouse. "You want to be with me, but as I have not been human for a long time. I will give you a true life." She turned and waved her hand across to the wall. There opened a door and a chamber came forward. In it was a woman much younger. The woman's red hair not as dark as it should have been but she was frozen so he could not begin to imagine what she was like or what color eyes could be hidden behind her lids. His mistress stood behind him and whispered.

"I found her not far from where you were. I figured that she was close to death and worth saving if you didn't serve me as I wish." She ran a hand over his cheek. "If you bring back Tomoyo and plant the bomb 

as I have directed you will have her back. Your true love and I will release you from your bonds that have held you to your so called 'love' of me." Spinel turned to his mistress and nodded.

"Why don't I remember?" His mistress walked to her throne and sat twirling a glass of wine.

"Well you didn't want to… And Sonomi was, is a very important person. I do not wish to reveal this tactical card not yet. Not until I have that little wench in my claws and can show her the truth." Spinel only nodded but he didn't understand and slipped from the room as quickly as he appeared.

Touya stared at the woman he knew the woman well. Remembered her from when his parents were still alive. Remembered the last time he actually saw her was the last time his mother was alive. Sonomi was his mother's sister she was much younger than their mother was. It was his fault that she was here just like it was everything else that happened to his family. Sadly he hung his head.

"She has served me well you know that, so had her mate." The mistress turned with the glass in her hand and came over to him still lying on the floor. "She's pregnant, or might still be when she wakes and if she is I will take the child it will be the only heir to the company by then." The mistress leaned down and cupped his chin. "Because your sister will be dead and you will be the tool in which I use to kill her. The papers will read tragic death of the corporate leader killed by her brother. The only heir to the corporation is her cousin barely even a month old."

"And how will you get into that position." The woman smiled evilly.

"I told you I am a demon. I can take her body as I took this one." Touya shrank back.

"Then if you can take over their bodies why didn't you take over Sakura's?" The mistress turned so fast and threw the glass that Touya didn't realize it left her hand till he felt the liquid near his hand.

"I had tried once to steal her soul and body, a long time ago when the corporation was still young and she was just a posing cop. Oh yes I remember it will I was too weak then even now I won't make it. She has Mist. Mist is not just a part of her mind, oh no it's a very strong spirit that merged with her back when," the mistress sighed. "I have only felt it once before long time ago, when there was still ancient magic. There was a woman who ruled peacefully, it was disgusting. She had two strong warriors, they had all seen horrors and yet chose to rule this way." She sat down and knocked over a table. "Your sister is the reincarnation of that bitch. I Killed her then and I WILL KILL her now. A century has passed and she knows nothing! She is not even at full strength and when her warriors appear she will not be strong enough to embody them and even if she is you will kill her and then they will kill you." Her smile was vicious.

"And how do you propose to make me do this?" She looked at him and she saw the defiance she saw the other day when he ran out of here and somehow got passed her guards.

"Because when you really think about it… You have wanted to kill her all these years." The mistress stood and walked over to him and made him stand laying her hand on his cheek. "I can either thrall you 

into doing it or you can willingly go and somehow hope that you can kill yourself… even if you do though know I will find another way to kill her."

"May I know the name of the woman or demon that will kill my whole family?" It wasn't really a question more of a request and she granted it to him for his strength and endurance lately.

"My name is known as Kaho."

China

Sakura stood at the window patiently waiting for Syaoran to return from his shower to go to the elders. They had made their decision it was a little later then they had expected but all the same it was a decision. Sakura did not fear this as much as she feared what came next. The battle would be long and she felt it on the horizon, according to Meiling she wouldn't be ready for a couple more months. She needed to be ready now no matter what it would cost her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize the arms were around her until she felt the chest against her back.

"Ready?" She nodded silently in answer and they headed down the hall to the room where the elders resided. This time it was a smaller room and brighter, when they entered the room there was no announcement and it looked more like a conference room then a place of judgment.

"Please sit." The youngest woman spoke to them her attire similar to what she wore yesterday. They all wore the same colors a color of rank which marked who was who. Together the couple sat at the one end of the conference room. The eldest man spoke his livid red clothes a compliment today.

"We have spoken long over the information provided to us and have question for the young lady." The word was light and barely spoken. Sakura nodded and waited patiently.

"You stated that it was a magical… way about the tattoos." The oldest woman spoke not with hate but with great interest. Sakura took a deep breath and decided that the best thing was to explain all that she knew or rather all that she could remember.

"I must first state that my memories are not what they should be of my past. I have been through much and they are distorted but I can tell you what I do know. Mist, as I am sure you have all heard of her, is a part of me. Now we are one person, before I believe that she was my friend not another side of me. She did not get the chance to tell me the whole story, but you must know so I will try to recall it the best that I can." Sakura closed her eyes and stretched out her hands, when she spoke it was not her voice but the voice Mist liked to use vibrating tones of water.

"Long ago before this life the soul was gathered and created a woman that her name is now lost somewhere in time and my forgotten memories. This is the last time that I will be able to speak…" there was a pause as if she was collecting her thoughts. "This is the last thing I can do for her, for us as one. Know that Sakura is a reincarnation of one of the most powerful woman in Japan. If you search history you will find the remnants of the tri power. Very soon her guardians will embrace their destiny." Slowly Sakura's eyes opened and revealed their complete black depths. "Let me show you why Sakura looks like 

this." A bubble appeared in her hands like water and in it appeared; it showed a warehouse that Syoaron had only heard of once. "You see Sakura at the time had taken on a position at a police station to help out her best friend's boyfriend. It was also because she wanted to help people. She temped as a cop to help out. Well she got a tip that there was going to be a shootout at the Warf in the one warehouse. To make a long story short, there wasn't a shootout just a trap. There was a woman that her name at the moment I do not know because she is a demon. She recognized that Sakura, that I am the recantation of this powerful woman. She tried to possesses us but she could not come close she was not powerful enough to break the links that connected the soul and the body to this life. So instead she decided that it would be better to kill her. Her choice of death was a vat of chemical that to this day I do not understand the properties. It changed her to this the tattoos are part of the formation of the past formed by the chemical. But because of the pain that her body was put through Sakura lost consciousness and in that I was created. To protect her and in my birth I had the memories or at least most of them from the past life." She paused and closed her eyes and the picture changed to a storm and the night that the change overcame Sakura. "When we merged," she looked down, "I lost most of those memories. This is all I can do I will shortly fade completely into Sakura and what help I could have been will no longer be there. But with me gone she will come to her powers completely she will be scared and scare many others." She looked up the eyes almost clear blue. "And I ask of this clan since she has no other family to turn to, to please protect her and assist her in her journey. I cannot tell you if she will live but if she does her abilities will make this family…" Sakura paused and the bubble broke and her last word was whispered as Mist completely faded. "Unified."

The woman who up to this point had not moved in her purple garb looked at Syoaron. "Well young Xiao Lang we never imagined that you would bring home the reincarnation of Ying Hwa Li." They all looked at the woman.

"You really think that that's who she speaks of?" The old man in red asked unbelieving of what they just saw.

"There are few that know the true history. I hold the history of this clan and I can tell you right now that Ying Hwa could control water with a thought. Though obviously Sakura isn't as powerful, who are we to turn her away she has been on this path to us again. We did not help her then, she made a name for our family and it is because of her that we are the clan we are today. It's time that we returned the favor." She paused and stood with more grace then her body foretold. Walked over to where Sakura sat and laid her hand on her face, Sakura matched eye with the woman. "I know I can see it in your eyes, Ying Hwa was my great great grandmother, and her only daughter was left at five years old without her mother. My great grandmother was alive when I was young and I loved hearing stories about Ying Hwa. It wasn't until many years later that I was told that the stories weren't stories at all. The one that killed her lived and disappeared." The woman looked away and stood. "There is a gift that I can give you. It held all of her power and only the one with the true soul of the original Ying Hwa can hold it. But if you do…" She sighed. "Every power comes with a cost." Sakura shook her head and stood.

"There is nothing that they can ask of me, I have given up everything for this and more. If they ask anything beyond the pain I will go thru to gain this full power then I will not help the destiny meet the 

end of this accursed demon." Sakura relaxed and looked at her hand the teardrop had faded slightly. The next change she could feel it would be upon her soon.

"In light of this new information I want her in the family before someone else comes along to take her from us again." The rest of the group was so stunned that no one knew what to say for a while.

"Very well if you have her permission then you must have the rest of ours." The woman in green spoke and looked at the other elder woman. "Of course as we are cousins I remember the words spoken and she speaks the truth and as historian of our clan it must be so." She stood and so did the rest of the elders all of them still nameless to Sakura.

"Yelen will deal with the plans for the wedding when we are needed you will see us again." The four elders left leaving only the last elder in purple and the couple.

"Sakura there is something you should see. If you are who Mist said you are then you will recognize all of this." Sakura and Syoaron left the room and the elder turned to Syoaron before they went very far. "Xiao Lang please go to your mother and inform her of our decision so that she may begin the wedding preparations that she has so desired to do since you both arrived. " Syoaron looked at Sakura and when she nodded he walked away back the way they had come from originally. "Sakura, this is the moment I do not want you to fear because I do believe you are who you say you are. The tattoos speak for themselves," The woman lifted her sleeve and showed a small tattoo that was more a birthmark and it was a vine that wrapped around her wrist and faded into her skin. "Our family has this mark the more the generations go down the less there is until there will be none. The magic was never again allowed to run in our veins my hope is that with you the new generation might get back what we have all but needlessly thrown away." Sakura smiled softly and nodded.

They headed down a hall to set of stairs and down further into the mansion they went. The elder stopped in front of a door that was no different from the rest but Sakura could feel the power behind it and knew they had arrived at their destination. The historian opened the door and they both stepped through the door. There were three things that stuck out to her the first was a large figure of a cat with wings the statue stood calm and was sitting before her. The creature was no different from a domestic cat except that it was the size of a lion. The second was behind it on the wall rested a wand it was slim and had a star at the end the power was steady from it. Behind it was a picture that scaled one end of the room to the other and the moment she saw it she understood everything.

Dragonia: So what do you think??

Sakura: you love to do that to the readers.

Dragonia: what stop right where they would be the most enthralled? YES!

Syoaron: So is it close to the end

Dragonia: No idea… the stories write themselves.


	13. Rain

Dragonia: Yay onward I feel like writing still so today I will write another chapter.

Sakura: You know that there are a lot of things in this story that aren't real.

Dragonia: yeah but that's what fantasy is, escaping the everyday life of reality.

Syaoran: So we are going on with the story?

Sakura: Apparently.

Kero: Hey How come Spinel gets a body and I am still just a kitty???

Dragonia: Sorry Kero, but I needed to put someone in there and I just figured that since Eriol wasn't magical in this story that that was the best place for him to be. Besides I am the writer! I say what goes! And you are a kitty!

Spinel: Yay

Kero: *sigh*

Sakura: Don't worry I still love you Kero.

Dragonia: Anyway Onward!

Review

They headed down a hall to set of stairs and down further into the mansion they went. The elder stopped in front of a door that was no different from the rest but Sakura could feel the power behind it and knew they had arrived at their destination. The historian opened the door and they both stepped through the door. There were three things that stuck out to her the first was a large figure of a cat with wings the statue stood calm and was sitting before her. The creature was no different from a domestic cat except that it was the size of a lion. The second was behind it on the wall rested a wand it was slim and had a star at the end the power was steady from it. Behind it was a picture that scaled one end of the room to the other and the moment she saw it she understood everything.

Chapter 13

Rain

China

There stood a woman her hair short brown and her green eyes stared out at the world. Her hand rested on a staff, the staff was long and thin the top came to a crescent with a star resting in the crest of it hanging by a chain. Wings graced her back bright white they seemed to glow of their own light. Covering her body was the same tattoo curve for curve at least what was visible. She stood on the top of a tower ready to jump into flight. There beside her were two beings, the first was a man with wings his long silver hair falling back behind him his wings like her emulated their own light. His blue eyes were clouded with hidden thoughts. On the other side rested the cat she saw a moment ago.

"I do not know how much like her you will become but I can tell you this she used the staff as a channel to focus her powers. You can do it without it but it takes much more concentration." Sakura turned and looked at the staff resting on the wall. It was a faded light pink, it was crystal clear that no one had touched it in years. Sakura walked over to it and stood before it. Her heart was racing in her chest but she couldn't deny that she wanted to reach out and touch it. She held back not out of fear but out of respect of the past and the person, who had it before, she didn't want to say it but a small part of her was actually afraid that she would fail even if there wasn't any valid reasoning for her to.

"Do you think…? Was I her or is she now me? Or was it that she just decided that I was the one person that had the chance of changing the past." The older lady looked at her but didn't say anything only watched. Sakura looked at the end where the star hung from the tip of the crescent. It was simple and beautiful. Reaching for it she didn't stop herself but she closed her eyes before she touched it. Her hand wrapped around it and it vibrated to her touch and then she could hear it singing to her.

Sacred Grove

'Sakura wake up.' The wind blew over her body cool but not cold. 'Sakura,' someone was calling her from far away. Opening her eyes she was surrounded in a beautiful glade there was nothing around her but green of the grass and trees and blue of the sky.

"Who's there?" Her voice was enchanting to her ears musical. She knelt in the grass content not to move. Before her appeared a woman, she was faded not quite solid.

'Sakura,' she did not appear anymore and her voice was soft and not much more than a whisper.

"You are Ying Hwa." The woman nodded and smiled down at her.

'Yes I was.' She closed her eyes. 'I remember it then beautiful and magical.' Shaking her head and opening her eyes. 'But we are here to talk of the powers, you must be careful not to repeat what I did. Or we will both be trapped and this time there might not be a person strong enough to face her.' Ying Hwa knelt beside Sakura. 'Please this will be hard and it will be frustrating for you. I need you and the people who she killed need you to do this. I was saved here from her wrath and her demon blight, but others were not, many others died at her hands because they were just in her way or didn't do as she desired. They are trapped in that hell that she has created. One of my guardians gave up his standing form to save me and create this grove.' She sighed and reached out for Sakura's hand. 'But the time has come to awaken him and take me with you. I resided here and a part of me that could travel was with you but it was only some of my memories now you will have those that I can give you. Now, Sakura, it's time to wake up and wake up the guardian.'

Historian Hall

The bright light flashed through the room and the elderly woman had to close her eyes. Now she had no doubt in her mind that she had done right and in doing so the curse that was held to her and her grandchildren would be released. Their magic would return for those that could still wield it, like Xiao Lang. She looked at her hand and the tattoo that she had seen from birth was fading away and she knew within a couple of days would be gone completely. She looked up to see Sakura kneeling with the staff across her lap. The elderly woman sat down and waited patiently. She didn't have to wait too long for Sakura to move. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and looked over at the elderly woman and it was in that moment that her dark hair slowly turned back to the auburn that everyone was used to. When she looked at the elderly lady her eyes were a deeper jade then they had been a moment before. Without saying a word she rose to her feet, staff in hand and turned to face the back of the cat. Walking around to the front Sakura looked at the guardian with new eyes. Before she could only feel the magic emanating from the staff but now she could feel the life force of the cat. Raising the staff and touching the tip of it to the noise of the cat she whispered.

"Your duty fulfilled to one master safe guarded till she returned again. Rise and know that you have secured her safety and return." She closed her eyes and let the magic flow from her mind to the tip of her fingertips and into the staff. Feeling the warmth of the light as the guardian was revived; opening her eyes revealed the slight movement of the wings before the stone that was covering the guardian fell away. Shaking from nose to tail to remove any extra dust, inquiring eyes looked up at her.

"Ying Hwa you have changed greatly from my memories." He took a deep breath and stepped down from the step he had been raised on. He looked her up and down and sniffed. "You…" He growled softly and Sakura knelt before him, unafraid of the teeth he bore at her. She reached out and placed a hand on his head.

"I am Sakura, a reincarnation of your beloved Mistress. I do not wish to take your place but I do need your help to battle a demon that many years ago killed your Mistress." The beast tilted his head.

"You wouldn't have been able to waken me if either your blood wasn't a kin to hers or you didn't hold her soul. Your blood is different but the soul, the power is the same. I am Kerberos, guardian of the ancient power sealed in that staff. My primary job is to ensure the safety of it, should it fall into the wrong hands the ending of my life will destroy the staff. You need to find the other one that roams freely to watch and observe to guard the future guardian." Sakura looked at the staff she held.

"How am I to find the second one?" Kero yawned, stretched and stepped around her so that his side was around the back of her legs. She automatically placed her hand on his head.

"You will know this guardian. Might not have always been close to you but was always within watching distance." Sakura sighed. "And would have gone completely unnoticed by most, I will notice who it is right away but you have to bring them out." Sakura looked at the elderly woman who had watched without saying a word.

"Do you have another form that you can travel in?" In answer Kero transformed into a little plush form and landed on her shoulder.

"We should go." The woman spoke and ushered them outside of the room.

Japan

Tomoyo walked around the room and thought it over again. The call was received earlier that day while she was at work it was a warning from Sakura's brother, he said something about someone named Kaho and a bomb. But it was so much static that she couldn't figure out what he had said and it was cut short early she had had Eriol check every corner he could find searching for her brother. All he had turned up was that the marriage that he had was dissolved and that her family hadn't seen him since. There was almost no record that he even existed. She had even called Yukito to find out if he had seen him at all but Yukito said that he had heard nothing from him since Sakura left. It left Tomoyo with a weird feeling, so she had left the corporation opting to be at home and wait to hear anything from Eriol.

She never knew what hit her but her last thought as she lost consciousness was that she wondered if Touya was kidnapped.

Police Station

"Sir I am sorry to say that we have not found any leads on Mr. Kinomoto." The chief sighed and shook his head.

"Okay I need someone to go down town and check on the corporation there is an alarm going off and even though it is probably just one of the secretary's hitting the switch with her leg I still need someone to go check it out to make sure." A couple of the officers volunteered to go but stopped when a siren went off quickly followed by three more of the fire marshal's trucks. Eriol turned to look at the window where he could clearly see the corporation and froze. The highest level of the company was on fire and he didn't need to be up close to know what kind of damage could be done. He took a deep breath and started shouting orders, knowing deep down without Mist/Sakura it would be lucky if they could get a blast of that size truly under control.

Ragged Blossom Corporation

Meiling lay on the floor right two levels below the blast point. The knife was lodged in her gut and she knew that she didn't have much time. Death suited her just fine but she would rather it be after she had told someone of the knowledge she now held. She had made it across to the phones but the lines were dead. The elevator was out of commission and the stairs were not really an option for her with her ankle the way it was. They thought she was dead that's the only reason that she was here at all waiting for someone to find her.

Her life was fading fast the knife had punctured the bottom part of her lung and she cured her stupidity. Another fit of coughs racked her already pained body.

"Is someone here?" She heard someone yell and the smoke was already beginning to get thicker.

"In here!" She coughed again and waited for whoever it was to come. It was Eriol and she couldn't help but smile the only person that she knew she could trust.

"Meiling! What happened?" He knelt beside her.

"This guy came out of nowhere and attacked me. Kept on asking where Tomoyo was and who I was. I know he planted the bomb." Eriol looked white.

"Let's get you out of here." Meiling pushed him away.

"No listen to me. I got information out of him right before he stabbed me." Meiling drew another breath and her body was wracked with another coughing fit. "The woman is looking for a way to hurt Sakura and by taking Tomoyo he knows it will hurt her more than anything. I believe they have her brother as well; it would have been one of two only ways they would have known that Tomoyo was close to her. Also," she coughed again and she knew that she only had a few more moments before her life would slip away, "this woman doesn't want to just kill Sakura but she wants to torture her."

"Why?" Eriol held Meiling's hand he was surprised to find it cold she must have been sitting here for a while. He looked down to see the blood covering the floor.

"Because Sakura has everything she wants and doesn't use it. The man told me that she plans to break her down and then kill her with her own brother." Meiling breathed in and out. "Tell her that I wish I could be there for her wedding." Eriol looked at to his new found friend and picked her up and quickly walked to the stairs. He would try to save her but knew deep down that it was too late, there were too many floors.

"Meiling stay with me please." It was more a whisper and he hoped that she would hear him; he worried over Tomoyo even though he was in the middle of trying to save a friend and help put out a fire.

Down town

Yukito stood outside of the store looking up at the smoke that covered most of the horizon out of the city. He shook his head sadly; he had been aloof to most of the happenings around the city. Happily working on his own in his own space, the only family he had was Sakura and Touya when he decided to show up. Knowing that Sakura was out of town made it all better for him and as he walked down the street he realized he was waiting for her still to tell him how to fix what had happened to him. For so many years he had not remembered his childhood. After a while everyone started to think that he had been traumatized because his family never came forward. He remembered talking to Sakura about it once and in that air of hers she had said that he was not traumatized.

Even then he hadn't believed her words but the more that he thought about it the less logical it sounded. No family, up until that moment he had nothing. He remembered little of the years before he met Touya and Sakura. Especially Sakura she was so nice to him and she was so happy, most of the time anyway. He hadn't spent much time with her after she started being cold to people. But on occasion she would come and it was only then that the smile would slip forward. Vaguely he remembered the orphanage and yet even now he wondered if it really existed because he had no semblance of where it was now or how to get there.

Yukito started toward home which was on the outskirts of town. He rarely ever needed to use the vehicle that rested outside his house. He paused to glance at the park that rested in the small quiet side of town that he resided in. There was little to no crime on this end, this was where the modern class lived. Smiling to himself he continued forward. Only aware of his own thoughts, which is why he was confused when someone bumped into him and he got a flash of two of his good friends.

A mumbled sorry was all he heard as the person slipped around the corner. It only took him a moment to regain his footing and he looked around to see who had bumped into him but there was no sign of the said person. A shiver traveled over his body and a frown graced his angelic face. He hurried quickly to his house trying to ignore the flashes he had seen. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed the police department.

"Officer Reese speaking what can I help you with?" there was some yelling in the background and some cursing as well.

"I need to speak with chief Hiragizawa."

"Well he is out on the field at the moment."

"Look this is Yukito, I am a close friend and this is about his faience." There was a pause on the other end and some more yelling.

"He's at the hospital, room 213." A moment later the line went dead. With a sigh Yukito dialed the other number and waited patiently.

"Nurse Shina, how can I help ya?" Her smooth voice sounded sweet and young.

"Room 213 please."

"Just one moment please." True to her word it was one moment before he was connected. It took a couple rings before someone answered.

"Doctor Xing speaking." Yukito paused.

"Is chief Hiragizawa there?" He heard a muffled 'chief' in the background.

"Hello?"

"Eriol," there was a sigh on the other end. "I… I can't explain how I know this but I think there is something wrong with Meiling…" He was interrupted.

"Yes I know she is here…. Wait, how did you know that…"

"I… Can't explain how I know this but if what I saw was true you should go find Tomoyo now." There was a quick intake of breath.

"She was at the house…. You should get down here and look after Meiling I don't know… how long she has." Eriol sighed and spoke to someone in the room.

"I will be there as soon as I can…. Have you called Sakura?" there was a long pause and finally Eriol breathed out but his answer did not surprise Yukito.

"No…"

"Bye." Yukito hung up the phone and grabbed his keys. He left the house. The deep blue of his car always made him stop and admire. But he didn't have the time to watch the way the sun fell across the hood like he liked to.

Hospital

Eriol sighed as he hung up the phone. His thoughts were racing and he knew deep down that if something was going to happen to Tomoyo it might have already happened. Though he tried to comfort himself with the thought that they wouldn't have killed her, yet.

"Xing." The gentlemen at the bed next to the monitor screen that was monitoring Meiling looked up from his chart. "I have to go something has come up. Yukito should be here soon, he will be able to keep an eye on her." The doctor shook his head and had a grim look.

"Will you wait till he gets here?" Eriol sighed.

"I wish I could." With that he turned and left the room.

Xing sighed softly and checked the monitor but there was no change in the young woman that the Chief had brought in. Smoke inhalation, he didn't have to guess where she came out of there were a few more that had come in from the corporation. Yet there were two things that bothered him about this patient. First was that she didn't dress like someone from the corporation, he knew well how they were required to dress because his wife and daughter both worked for that company. The second thing that bothered him was that she didn't appear to be the person who set the bomb but then she was defending the corporation but why.

"Because she is one of the owner's friends." The doctor looked up to see a man with short light brown hair walk into the room. His angelic face was kind and hopeful but also worried.

"Yukito I presume." He nodded and smiled softly. "She is going to need surgery but for the moment she is stable."

"When does she go in for surgery?" Xing looked over the chart.

"Another hour or so, just so we are sure she is stable." Yukito nodded as the doctor left the room. Yukito pulled out his phone and dialed a very familiar number. It rang a couple times before someone answered.

"Hello?" The voice was sing song for a moment Yukito didn't say anything he wanted to hear her that way every time he called.

"Sakura." He could almost hear the smile in her voice and that made him falter.

"Yuki! How is everything? Apparently I have so much work to do that I have to come home and deal with some people."

"So you haven't heard then?"

"Heard what?"

"Well," He sighed and took a deep breath. "There's been… a… I guess you can say attack on your company."

"Even if there is an attack on my corporation its nothing you should worry about. My employees can take care of the whole issue."

"I am not really worried about your employees so much that I am worried about Meiling." He could hear her movements over the phone.

"Why are you worried about Meiling?"

"Sakura there was a real physical attack on your company. There was a bomb." The words he could tell didn't register in her brain yet so he continued. "Meiling was there when she found the guy that was placing the bomb or I gather that's why she is in the hospital I don't have the whole story… except."

"Except what?" Sakura's voice was cold but Yukito knew it wasn't because of him.

"Well this guy I think it was a guy. Anyway he bumped into me and I remember seeing Meiling sitting on the floor of one of your higher offices a puddle of blood around her. She was coughing and somehow in that flash I knew she was dying." Yukito sighed but continued knowing that this was much harder for him to say then for her to hear. "Then Tomoyo was sitting in a room tied to a chair blood was streaming down the side of her face… I got the feeling that she was trapped and trying to still act unconscious. She was scared but somehow I think she knew you would save her." There was a deep breath on the other end and he heard someone speak asking what was wrong. It was a moment more before she spoke and when she did it scared him more for instead of the unfeeling voice he had gotten used to in all those years or even the bright happy Sakura he had recently gotten used to it was so cold and angry that he feared it might have froze the deepest pits of hell itself.

"Is Meiling going to be okay?"

"I am not sure she is going into surgery soon."

"Will you call me when she gets out if it is before I get there."

"Yes." Sakura spoke in the background. "Sakura there is more."

"What else?" Sakura said something else that Yukito could not decipher.

"Tomoyo had called me earlier in the day actually, it was right before the corporation was attacked. She was looking for your brother. I think that she had a lead but you might want to talk to Eriol I am sure he might know more but he left to find out if Tomoyo was missing."

"How did you know that Meiling was in trouble and know that Tomoyo is." Sakura's voice was still hard and stiff but he could tell that she was moving outside and he could hear the car door close behind her.

"I walked into someone. I mean…. I have always knowing things without…"

"I understand." A nurse entered the room to check on Meiling and Yukito could not finish. "I will be there as soon as I can."

Yukito hung up unsure of what to do now wishing for the first time in a long time to fight. A voice in his head spoke and for a moment he thought he was going crazy.

'Mistress is coming the fight will start soon.'

Airplane in Route

"Sakura… are you okay?" Syaoran looked over at Sakura; she hadn't spoken since she got off the phone with Yukito.

"No," Sakura looked at him and her eyes soften some but the look on her face remained. "I have been sorting out the memories that Ying Hwa has. They are still scattered and there is no real sense of time."

"You will figure it out." Kero spoke from her shoulder. "In a sense you are her if you would relax they would order themselves out and you could just watch them like a movie." Sakura shook her head.

"I don't think I can." Sakura sighed. "We should have never left."

"If we had never left then the bomb might have gone off when we were actually there."

"I know but… maybe I could have…."

"Sakura, there is nothing that you could have done." Kero dropped to her lap. "Trust me with all the powers that you have there is nothing that you could have done. Time is one motion going forward. Even when we lived back then there were few people that could turn back time and those who could, you did not want to disturb it was considered an ultimate punishment. You and Ying Hwa never had that ability." Kero shook his head. "Though she too wished for it." Sakura and Syaoran both looked at the creature who was tapping his foot.

"What?"

"Why did Ying Hwa wish to turn back time?" Syaoran asked his words soft.

"You haven't remembered that part then, no I guess you wouldn't Ying Hwa wouldn't see that as important to remember, albeit she would probably want to forget it entirely." Sakura carefully picked up Kero and waited.

"Forget what?"

"Ying Hwa was in love and this was just a simple man. He did not want to tie her down he said. So she went on living the life of a ruler hoping one day that he would see that he was all she needed." Kero sighed. "We all would have been happy if she gave up ruling and settled down with him. She would have done it too if only he would have asked." Kero looked at Syaoran. "You look remarkably like him… only he wasn't…" Kero shook his head. "Of course he never asked he was afraid that she would do just that and he knew that the people needed her. After the demon appeared it didn't take long for her to use that as leverage."Kero shook himself his voice was cracking. "Y…. the other guardian and I figured we could save him. But when... when she realized what we were doing… She knew we couldn't make it before the demon saw us. She made a deal, her life for the man. Well we as guardians couldn't allow that."

"So you sealed her soul and the staff and the other one…" Kero nodded slowly.

"To keep both souls protected he killed her love, but he knew that because of that he would be stripped of his memories and placed as a human in every life until it was time to awaken." Sakura shook her head when Kero finished.

"He did that for their love?"

"If he hadn't then her love would have been trapped." He looked at Syaoran. "And you would not have the soul you have that is linked to her." The two looked at each other realizing that there was more to this story then just theirs.

"Sir?" A voice came over the intercom interrupting their conversation.

"Yes?"

"There is a phone call from your mother." Syaoran sighed. They had left in a hurry after hearing about the bomb at the corporation.

"Thank you." Syaoran stood, walked over to phone and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Mother. I am sorry we left but…" He paused and continued. "Yes she is fine but Meiling and …." There was a long pause. "What do you mean? Yes I knew…" Syaoran paused and looked over at Sakura. "Do you happen to know Meiling's last name?" Sakura shook her head and shrugged. "No she doesn't know." Syaoran sighed it was sad and long. "Yes mother." He hung up the phone and took a deep breath before turning around.

"My mother thinks that Meiling might be my cousin who ran away when she was really young." Sakura shook her head.

"Anything else that people want to throw at me now?"

Somewhere in Japan

"Mistress." Spinel spoke softly the affection clear in his voice, he waited for her to acknowledge him.

"Did you do it?" Spinel stood one of the few times that a smile was plastered across his face, it was expertly hidden by the black fabric that covered most of his body. Even so Kaho could see the lines that betrayed it near his eyes.

"Yes mistress. Unfortunately I was unable to bring back Meiling, she fought too much, though I left her wounded and close to death as a gift, from you to Sakura." Kaho smiled and nodded.

"That is my favorite part of you, if you can't bring something back you do something equally evil that brings my soul a whole new evil joy, and the girl?"

"She is in the interrogation room awaiting your précis attention." Kaho smiled so brightly and walked over to Spinel laying her hand upon his cheek.

"I am impressed. I did not expect such a pleasant end… and the bomb?"

"The second is waiting your command." Kaho nodded.

"Good. We need more time but I promised you time with your soul mate and relieving you of this evil love that you hold to me." Spinel tilted his head.

"Milady I don't understand." Kaho shook her head.

"You wouldn't." She lifted her arm slowly and motioned toward the wall and the chamber next to Sonomi revealed a second unused chamber. "Spinel, go into the chamber please." He did without questioning her order like most things. The door closed and she spoke. "Spinel it is time to know, know the truth of who I am and the things you have done if this does not comfort you in your sleep then know that when you wake up the Sonomi that you love will be no more." The look upon Spinel's face went unseen for the cloth that covered his mask. But again like before Kaho could see the pain in his eyes and the wrinkles around it. She froze him like that knowing that she could look upon him and smile. After this she would twist him again using his true love for Sonomi.

"Now as for you…" She turned Touya his eyes were closed and had been for some time. "I suppose it can wait till I have a chance to speak with Tomoyo.

Hospital

"Any news?" Eriol walked into the hospital alone and looked at Yukito who sat in the waiting room.

"No they took her in about a half hour ago. There was no sign of her was there?" Eriol stopped and shook his head.

"No… there was no struggle. So either she knew the person or she let them in." Yukito shook his head but said no more he had no way of telling Eriol that he somehow knew that Tomoyo didn't let him in and in fact she was for the moment alive.

"I called Sakura… She is on her way." Eriol only nodded almost ignoring what he said.

"I have the officers that I can spare out looking for her…. But I think that the only person who can find her is..."

"Sakura." He felt her she wasn't far, he didn't know how he felt her but he knew her presence was near. Standing he walked to the window and watched the traffic.

"Yes…" Eriol said not realizing that Yukito was talking about something else.

Yukito could see the limo down in the intersection.

Limo

"Sakura do you feel that?" Kero looked at her suddenly his nap interrupted by a power he had not felt in many years. Sakura stopped looking out the window and closed her eyes, at first there was only darkness but then the power that he had spoken of was on the edge of her awareness.

"Yes but its… not… strong." Kero nodded and flew up to the window.

"Where are we?"

"The hospital." Kero turned and faced Sakura.

"Who is here that you know?"

"Yukito is the only one that I know."

"He might be..." Kero did not have to finish the sentence for Sakura to know what he was talking about.

The limo pulled up to the entrance and Sakura got out, Kero was hiding in her hair, and Syaoran followed behind them. It didn't take them long to get to the floor of the waiting room. Sakura stopped down the hall. Looking at the room that she knew the new Guardian was in she waited.

"Sakura what are you waiting for?" Syaoran whispered in her ear. Kero answered

"The guardian will know that she is here and though he won't remember he will be drawn to her like a moth to the flame." It didn't take long before the door open and Yukito stepped out.

"Sakura?" His voice was soft and barely above a whisper. Sakura closed her eyes and she was at the sacred grove, Kerberos stood next to her in his full form and before her stood Yukito.

'Yukito,' from Sakura a voice rang that was more Ying Hwa then her own. 'That is your name now and you will still have to live this life but I give you back your memories as Yue the two pieces are now whole. Remember and become the guardian as you were meant to always be.'

Sakura opened her eyes to look at Yukito again but the soft edge that was always there was faded and she could see that this was Yue, but for the moment she had to ignore that.

"Is there any news?" It took Yue a moment to register her question and find the answer.

"No they took her in quite a while ago." Sakura walked forward and hugged him, he was stiff for a moment. "Are you tired?" Sakura shook her head.

"No I will be fine." Syaoran walked up behind her and they all entered the waiting room.

"Sakura…" Eriol looked up and his face told her all she needed to know.

"I know we will find her." Eriol nodded unsure who to be more worried about.

Syaoran looked at Yukito and walked over to him as he stood by the window.

"You saved me." Yue was looking out of his eyes now, it took him a moment to register who it was. Or rather whose soul he was looking at.

"… Yes… Though know that I do not regret it." Syaoran nodded and leaned against the wall.

"Thank you… had you not." Yue only nodded but his words spoke more volume then anything he had done in the past.

"Then repay the favor and find a way not to make me have to kill you this time… keep her safe don't make her sacrifice herself for you again." When Yue put it into words it felt like Syaoran was slapped across the face.

"I was a different person then."

"I can tell… I remember."

"Eriol, what did Meiling say." Eriol took a deep breath.

"Basically that this woman plans to break you down and then kill you with your own brother. And that she wished she could be there for your wedding." Sakura sighed.

"So she has my brother and my best friend. No one ever said that living the life of a corporate leader would be easy."

"The bomb was set in your corporate office." Eriol continued figuring now was the best time to tell her. "Since Tomoyo had left for the day because we were worried about your brother Meiling was the only one in the upper offices when the bomb went off." Sakura only nodded but her muscles were tightening, Eriol stood and walked to the door. "I am going to see if Meiling is out of surgery yet." This left Yue, Syaoran, Sakura and Kero alone.

"I can't remember her name." Sakura's fist hit the table and Kero slid down her hair to float over to Yue.

"Whose name?" Syaoran asked as he sat down beside her.

"The demon woman." Yue was holding Kero and moved Kero to his shoulder as he sat down near the couple.

"Kaho. Her name is Kaho. When Tomoyo called me she had mentioned your brother saying that name Kaho." Sakura looked at him and sighed.

"So now we have a name but what do we do with it. It isn't the real demons name."

"No but that's the name that the demon would have to use for any purchases." Sakura laughed but it was a false one.

"Do you really think a demon would buy something?"

"Only if she didn't want anyone around her to be suspicious." They all looked at each other but their conversation was forgotten when Eriol walked in the room. They all looked to him, Sakura knew that face well. It was the face Eriol put on when he was about ready to tell some really bad news.

"She's dead." Eriol couldn't even move.

A few days later

The sky was rolling and everything was going wrong, nothing happened as was planned. There before them all was a stone, a stone that hadn't even been thought of the day before, it is sad how a happy day had fallen like this. It can only be imagined what would happen now. The sky split open and rained poured down on the group of people that surrounded the grave site. No one could speak about the person that had died as if the words just wouldn't describe a person so amazing. There was fire in one person's eyes and this just added to the fuel as rain poured down. It didn't seem to bother her that she was getting soaked. The man next to her just held her hoping beyond hope that this would be the only death in the battle to come…

Dragonia: So this was a long one.

Kero: OMG you killed Meiling.

Dragonia: stay tuned to the next chapter of this story….. it will get interesting…. Sorry no preview though.


End file.
